Energy Development | Guide to Mining & Energy

Types of Alternative Energy Sources

July 12, 2011 by admin Leave a Comment

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Decades ago, the only way scientists could come up with how to create energy was by turning nuclear power into electricity. In recent years, scientists and engineers have developed different types of renewable and alternative energy sources.

Here’s a look at some of the most popular types of renewable and alternative energy sources.

Wind Power

The media and Internet is filled with thousands of pictures of huge wind turbines. These wind turbines are responsible for creating energy out of the wind that is created naturally. Wind power is being used to power small cities and homes, but could eventually be turned into a power source for larger areas.

Solar Power

Every place on the planet Earth has access to the sun, so why not create a way to harness the heat and power from the sun and turn it into energy. That is exactly what solar power does. With the use of solar powered panels, the sun’s rays can be turned into electricity and power that can be used by cities, businesses and homes.

Tidal Power

Cities and towns that are located right on the ocean can take advantage of the ocean’s tides and waves. These ever moving ocean currents can be used to create energy using similar techniques to the wind turbines.

As more and more of the world’s natural resources are being consumed, more and more places are going to be looking for cleaner, more effective renewable and alternative energy sources like wind, tidal and solar power sources.

Filed Under: Energy, General Tagged With: Energy development, Wind power, Wind turbine

Consequences of Carbon-Free Energy Production

March 28, 2011 by admin Leave a Comment

There are some identifiable sources of carbon-free energy creation, including wind, nuclear, hydropower, as well as “carbon neutral” sources of energy which include biomass and bio-fuels. All of these sources are considered renewable energy (the exception being nuclear) since they are all constantly being replenished. Their positive impact is that they lower greenhouse gas emissions, but despite this advantage they each, nevertheless, have negative impacts on the environment in other ways.

Statistically these sources of energy only provide approximately 14% of the energy needs used across the globe. They break out as follows: nuclear power provides the world with 6.2% of the world’s energy needs; hydroelectric power 2.2%; wind power is just over 1%. Bio-fuels and biomass make up another 4% of the world’s energy needs.

The environmental drawbacks of these resources vary. Hydroelectric power is a clean source for energy particularly where carbon emissions are concerned; however, regarding fish it has been a great environmental hazard. Those who depend on fishing as an occupation have been negatively impacted by the production of this “clean energy.”

Nuclear power results in essentially no greenhouse emissions, but there are other environmental consequences. There are risks and environmental damage from uranium mining and processing. The nuclear waste itself is extremely hazardous and accidents that occur in any aspect of nuclear processing and disposal can result in very serious consequences to both people and the environment.

Where wind power is concerned there are negative consequences that affect wild life habitats and that also negatively affect specific species.

As for bio-fuels they adversely affects crop production. To meet our goals for gasoline, 80% of the country’s cropland would have to be converted over for energy production. As cropland sizes increase to accommodate both human consumption and energy creation there will be a push to increase the exploitation of forest land and other soil resources.

Filed Under: Energy Tagged With: Energy, Energy development, Nuclear power

Renewable Energy Production

March 16, 2011 by admin Leave a Comment

Renewable energy refers to those forms of energy production which are obtained through renewable resources such as sunlight, moving water, wind, geothermal heat, rain and tides, etc. These forms of energy production are considered renewable since they replenish themselves naturally all the time. In a general sense these forms of energy production are considered alternatives to fossil fuels (petroleum products) and nuclear power which during the ‘70’s and ‘80’s were referred to as “alternative energy.”

By 2008 the world’s consumption of energy had shifted 19% over to renewable sources. Traditional forms of biomass, used primarily for heating made up 13% of this number while hydroelectricity made up 3.2% of it. The remaining 2.7% came from wind, bio-fuels, geothermal and solar sources. Approximately 18% of electricity generation now comes from renewable sources – 15% from hydroelectricity and the remaining 3% from newer forms of renewable energy.

The installed capacity of wind power throughout the world in 2009 was 158 gig-watts (GW). It is growing at a rate of 30% each year and is most widely used throughout Europe, the U.S. and Asia. Photovoltaic (PV) (electricity generated by solar energy) generated in excess of 21 GW by the end of 2009. Spain and Germany have PV power stations throughout their countries. The U.S. and Spain also have solar thermal power stations in operation, the largest of which is located in the Mojave Desert, called the SEGS power plant. It is a 354 megawatt (MW) facility. Geothermal power is generated in the largest amounts at “The Geysers” in California. It is rated with a capacity of 750 MW. Ethanol fuel is another renewable source of energy. Brazil has a world class renewable energy program that includes a production of sugar-cane created ethanol that makes up 18% of the nation’s automotive fuels. The U.S. is another country that produces and utilizes large amounts of ethanol fuel.

Filed Under: Energy Tagged With: Energy development, Renewable energy, Watt

Hydro Power: Using It Effectively

November 5, 2010 by admin Leave a Comment

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Not to many countries would think of using water as an energy source. As an alternative source, many cities would wonder just how to make use of it within their state. Of course hydro power is not a strong form of energy as solar power. However, this does not mean it cannot be effective as an energy source. Some of the biggest produces of hydro power include countries such as Canada and France.

Harnessing Its Power

Harnessing the power of water does require that a dam be built or an obstruction be implemented to direct the flow of water to where it is needed to go. Around the wall, the obstructions built serve to create a waterfall in some areas, and as the water flows pass it the turbines located inside the hydro plant are turned, creating energy. The only problem with hydropower is in an area where the water can decrease with the tide, energy production can be affected.

The Advantages & Disadvantages

The advantages of using flowing water as a source of energy are vast. This resource is constantly available as long as the water flows. When the water is flowing, large amounts of energy and electricity can be produced. Therefore, hydro power is only effective in areas that have a constant flow of water. It is also a great alternative to using fuels derived from plants that can cause pollution.

Some of the disadvantages of hydro power is that it is limited in the amount of energy that can be produced per day. This is in regards to areas affected by tides. Another disadvantage is seen in the energy plants. The equipment and machinery needed to harness this type of energy is not only costly but large in size. Therefore, an area next to the water to produce the energy will also need to have a large space for the energy plant.

Filed Under: Energy, Mining Tagged With: Canada, Energy, Energy development, France, Hydroelectricity, Hydropower, Renewable energy, Solar power

Are We Losing Energy Resources?

November 5, 2010 by admin Leave a Comment

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This is a common question that is often asked as more fuel is burned to produce electricity and other forms of energy. However, either human beings forgot or ignored the fact that most of the substances we use for fuel is non-renewable and supplies can be in short supply. We have seen the result of fuel supplies running low resulting in increased prices for gas and petrol and an increase in other things that use fuel. So not only might the humans be heading towards a shortage of fuel, there is growing animosity towards the damage that the uses of the present fuels have caused on the environment.

Substitutes

Therefore, it is vital key policymakers to look for some substitute sources of energy before the supplies become too low. The suggestions for substitute sources could include wind power, solar power, hydropower, geothermal power, and tidal wave power. Even hydrogen gas has been used in the past to power spacecrafts and parts of cars.

Geothermal power refers to the natural heat energy produced inside the earth. This power can be harnessed to heat buildings and homes. The most common form of this geothermal energy is seen in a hot spring or a geyser. The force necessary to spray water out of the Earth is a great source and this form of heat production has been used in Iceland for at least 30 years.

Nuclear power is one substitute form of energy. The use of nuclear substances and the mixed reactions associated with building a reactor, is still prevalent many years after the disaster at Chernobyl, Russia. However, nuclear power is much greater than the energy obtained from other sources. Some of the European countries produce at least 50 percent of their nation’s energy by nuclear power.

Therefore, before situation becomes critical major countries should start looking at diversifying the way they produce power for their country.

Filed Under: Energy, Mining Tagged With: Chernobyl, Energy, Energy development, Geothermal energy, Nuclear power, Renewable, Technology, Wind power