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Challenges facing future use of renewable energies
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Introduction of your Grand Challenge Our challenge topic is to make solar energy more economical. By doing so we need to make solar energy more efficient. Although the sun provides a lot of energy, we are currently only able to efficiently convert 10 to 20 percent of it into electricity. This topic is very challenging because costs of electricity that is provided by solar energy is around 3 to 6 times more expensive than the current prices of electricity. Storage is another problem that we face because it 's rather hard to storage solar energy, unlike storing other sources of energy like heat. This challenge exists because fossil fuel produces toxic waste such as carbon dioxide which pollutes the climate we live in. Fossil fuel which is our main source of energy will one day run out and we will need solar energy to replace it. Solar energy produces no waste, and with no harmful leftover. “Solar energy is radiant …show more content…
The purer the material, the more expensive it is. So when we rely on these pure silicones, the prices for solar panels will go up as more of purer silicones are required. So even if the efficiency increases for using photovoltaic cells to change solar energy to electricity, the prices will go up, and that does not solve the problem of the high cost. Proposed Design Solutions As a group we hoped to make a design that would be more efficient through reducing the cost, improving the storage, and increasing the efficiency of converting the solar energy into electricity. Design 1 increased the efficiency by combining two of the technologies that currently exist. It uses the solar panels to absorb the solar energy which will convert it into electricity and the rest of the heat that are not converted will flow through the pipes underground to the water source. The rest of the heat will then heat up the water to convert it into steam which will drive the turbines located above it, generating more
In passive solar design, the vertical and horizontal surfaces control the heat transfer; in winters collect and distribute solar heat and dissipate heat in summer. Passive solar techniques utilize solar energy through direct or indirect solar gain to achieve environmental comfort in the building. The key factors in passive solar building design are: site planning and design; thermal mass; solar geometry; ventilation and vegetation.
Preview: Today I will discuss the potential that solar power has to become this country’s main supply of energy and the latest research that can make solar power more efficient and cost effective. I will also present the environmental benefits that come with using solar power over other and more harmful forms of energy.
After the condensation process is finished and the steam reverts back to water, it is pumped into the reactor again, thus completing the process of producing nuclear-based power. Next, hydro-electricity is electricity produced by moving water, flowing past a turbine connected to a generator (“Hydropower”). According to Nationalgeographic.com, a typical hydro-plant is a system with three parts: an electric plant where electricity is produced, a dam that can be opened or closed to control water flow, and a reservoir where water can be stored.... ... middle of paper ... ...
Solar cells have been around since 1883, when the first solar cell was created. Even though they have been around for so long, many people still wonder why they have not been implemented into wide-scale usage already. Solar cells today are highly efficient and can provide enough energy to power many cities today. But what is holding them back from being used in developing countries that have a chance to base their society around them, or in already developed countries? Simply put- the cost.
Everyone on earth is familiar with solar power; it is the energy that the sun gives to the earth and is used by various organisms in various ways. Plants use solar energy to make food; cold-blooded animals use it to get their body temperature high enough to function while warm blooded animals use it for warmth. In the history of mankind, solar power has been critical. However, it is only in later years that the human race has acquired the technology necessary for collecting and storing solar energy. Solar panels and their attendant hardware make it possible to harness the energy, store it and transport it. The equipment has now become so small in some cases that one can wear it on his or her person. The paper shows
Energy is the basic necessity of daily life. Nowadays, dependence on fossil fuels for energy needs becoming lower in numerous countries due to the potential of renewable energy to supply sustainable energy to the huge populations in many developing countries who are short of clean and continues energy. Generally, renewable energy can be defined as energy that is derived from natural resources which are constantly replenished and theoretically inexhaustible. Fossil fuels on the other hand can be described as energy that cannot be renewed and will eventually diminish. Thus, in many developing countries renewable energy is the alternative energy to replace non-renewable energy or commonly known as fossil fuels. In addition, according to Sorensen (2004), there is a greater demand for renewable energy sources nowadays due to the uncertainty of fuel price rise in living expenses. Commonly, there are many types of renewable energy available in our world such as wind power, biomass energy, solar energy, hydroelectric power and geothermal energy. However, the main three example of renewable energy are hydroelectric power, solar and biomass energy (Refer to Figure 1 in Appendix 1).
Two people who believe this are reporters at the Breit Bart News Network. Julian Morris and Victor Nava believe that, “‘Green’ energy subsidies benefit the politically connected while harming future generations as hundreds of millions of dollars are added to the country’s debt burden with each green failure.” In a way Morris and Nava are correct. According to Mathias Aarre Maehlum, “Residential solar systems are typically sized from 3 to 8kW and end up costing between $15,000 and $40,000.” This can add up to become very expensive when implementing solar energy throughout the country. However, with the advancements in technology growing every year the cost will decrease over time. The cost of implementation can in fact go down as well through the use of community solar gardens. This helps the homes that are shaded and cannot absorbs the Sun’s energy. The energy from the community solar gardens are shared through out those homes. Switching to solar energy can also save money over time. Rhone Resch, president of the Solar Energy Industries Association confirms this. Resch says, “Today, the solar industry employs nearly 175,000 Americans and pumps more than $15 billion a year into the U.S. economy – and we’re just scratching the surface of our enormous potential” (qtd. in
Nanotechnology is the answer for solar energy. With electrical device being used 24/7 and electricity on high demand, we need to constantly produce energy. Nanotechnology can help rise efficiency up to 40% which allows a normal panel module to produce around 30 watts per square foot. That’s 1.3 mWh for one acre. With this advancement in the process of development, soon there won’t be any energy crisis.
For the generation of electricity, hot water, at temperatures ranging from about 700 degrees F, is brought from the underground reservoir to the surface through production wells, and is flashed to steam in special vessels by release of pressure. The steam is separated from the liquid and fed to a turbine engine, which turns a generator. In turn, the generator produces electricity. Spent geothermal fluid is injected back into peripheral parts of the reservoir to help maintain reservoir pressure. If the reservoir is to be used for direct-heat application, the geothermal water is usually fed to a heat exchanger before being injected back into the earth. Heated domestic water from the output side of the heat exchanger is used for home heating, greenhouse heating, vegetable drying and a wide variety of other uses.
Solar is a viable alternative energy source with solar panels becoming more affordable and more efficiently designed.
One of the most compelling arguments for the use of renewable energy is how many forms exist of it. Nuclear power, solar power, wind power, tidal power, hydroelectric power, pumped storage, wave power, geothermal power, biomass, and biogas are the most widely known renewable energy sources (Darvill, 2013). This large selection of fuels supports the idea of renewable fuels one day powering the entire planet. All the sources of energy have different niches and benefits. Solar energy is extremely ef...
Solar water heaters work by using energy from the sun. There are two types of systems for solar water heaters, an open system and a closed system (“Tapping into the Sun”). These systems depend on the type of climates they are installed in (“Tapping into the Sun”). Open systems are worth the installation if the weather is year round sunny, closed systems are better if the weather gets cold. The water cannot be run during winter so the system will be switched to fuel and in the summertime when it is warm, so the sy...
I am certain that all have heard of the terms greenhouse gases, fossil fuels, and global warming. Have you ever questioned what will happen if nothing is done about the environmental problems facing the world today? What if I answer you that, we can merely use the power from the sun to power up our entire planet without the use of harmful energy sources, which affect our atmosphere? The power from the sun is what we call solar power. Solar power is the energy that comes from the sun as light and heat energy, and then it is later converted into electrical energy through solar panels (Nelson, 2008).
The Earth captures around 342 W/m2 of energy from the sun. This energy is in the form of solar radiation, which the atmosphere reflects about 77 W/m2 and will absorb around 68 W/m2 of solar radiation annually. Therefore, the Earth’s surface is receiving, on average, about 197 W/m2 of solar radiation annually. This amount of energy received is roughly more than 10,000 times the amount of all energy humans consume per year. This energy can be used to produce electricity or heat. This energy source is not being used to it’s potential considering how much effort would come into effect to store and transport this energy.
Regarding solar power, Mistry claims that although the solar power does not generate pollution, it has a lot of costs. Building solar panels with photovoltaic equipment has high costs. For instance, a photovoltaic system for a home can cost around $35,000 (Kumar, 2012). However, if our goal for the future is to create a healthy environment, switching fossil fuels for solar power might be the best choice to achieve that goal. According to Kumar (2012), Solar power is a clean and renewable energy so, it decreases the dependency on fossil fuel and also reduces the air pollution.