Friday, October 25, 2019
The Alternative Energy Source to Oil Essay -- Renewable Energy Solar P
The Alternative Energy Source to Oil Introduction 1.0     â€Å"Renewable Energy†is the term used to describe those energy flows that occur naturally and repeatedly in the environment, e.g. from the sun, wind and the oceans, and from plants and the fall of water. It also refers to the energy available from wastes and to the emerging clean technology of fuel cells. There are wide ranges of renewable energy sources/technologies, varying in technical and commercial viability. These include: †¢Ã‚     Solar Power (Photovoltaic) †¢Ã‚     Hydro – electric Power †¢Ã‚     Hydrogen Fuel Cells †¢Ã‚     Geothermal †¢Ã‚     Wind Power †¢Ã‚     Nuclear Power 1.1     The modern drive to harness renewable energy began in the 1970’s. It was promoted by concerns over the price and availability of fossil fuels – oil, gas, and coal. Fossil fuels are finite – only coal is predicted to be available in significant quantities at the end of the 21st century at current rates of consumption. Using fossil fuels to generate electricity also produces pollutants, which can lead to environmental problems (such as acid rain and the â€Å"greenhouse effect†). By contrast, renewable energy produces few, if any, harmful emissions. Exploiting renewable, which at present meet over 2% of the UK’s electricity needs, also reduces the rate at which other energy resources are used up. With the world’s population continuing to grow, renewable energy promises to play an increasingly significant role in the future. 1.2     The estimated oil reserves in the Earth’s crust are about 1 trillion barrels. Oil consumption is at 25 billion barrels per year and increasing at 1.5% per year. At current rates of consumption, measured against known reserves, there is only a 30-year supply of oil in the Earth’s crust. Even if the reserve estimate were doubled, it is a moral imperative that the population takes immediate action to develop a sustainable energy economy. Solar Energy 2.0     Solar energy is quite simply the energy produced by the sun and collected elsewhere, normally the Earth. The sun creates its energy through a thermonuclear process that converts about 650,000,000 tons of hydrogen to helium every second. The process creates heat and electromagnetic radiation. The electromagnetic radiation (including visible light, infra-red light, and ultra-violet radiation) streams out into space i... ..., such as natural gas. Practical fuel cell systems are therefore likely to include a fuel processor, which generates hydrogen from hydrocarbons. There are a number of types of fuel cells currently the focus of development work: †¢Ã‚     Alkaline fuel cells – AFC †¢Ã‚     Direct methanol fuel cells – DMFC †¢Ã‚     Molten carbonate fuel cells – MCFC †¢Ã‚     Phosphoric acid fuel cells – PAFC †¢Ã‚     Proton exchange membrane fuel cells – PEM †¢Ã‚     Regenerative fuel cells – RFC †¢Ã‚     Solid oxide fuel cells – SOFC 3.5     Fuels cells are inherently clean and efficient and are uniquely able to address the issues of energy security and environmental degradation. Now market experience is showing that the technology provides a range of critical benefits that no other single power generation technology can match. †¢Ã‚     Fuel cells are quiet and reliable with no moving parts. †¢Ã‚     They produce no emissions (other than water) when using pure hydrogen and very light emissions when using hydrocarbon or alcohol fuel. †¢Ã‚     They are extremely efficient compared to conventional means of generating electricity typically 40 – 50%. †¢Ã‚     PEM fuel cells have a very low operating temperature
