Renewable Energy

Renewable Energy

Fuel cells (Hydrogen) by Alex Morhen Yr8 Geography week 30

How does it work? Fuel cell cars look like conventional vehicles from the outside, but inside they contain technologically advanced components not found on today's vehicles. The most obvious difference is the fuel cell stack that converts hydrogen gas stored onboard with oxygen from the air into electricity to drive the electric motor that propels the vehicle.

The Good points The Bad points • Less Greenhouse Gas Emissions. Fuel cell cars powered by pure hydrogen emit no GHGs from their tailpipe, only heat and water. • Less Air Pollutants. Fuel cell cars powered by pure hydrogen emit no harmful pollutants. • Reduced Oil Dependence. hydrogen can be derived from domestic sources, such as natural gas and coal, as well as renewable resources such as water. That would make our economy less dependent on other countries. • Onboard Hydrogen Storage. Storage systems are still too large, heavy, and expensive. • Vehicle Cost. Fuel cell cars are currently too expensive to compete with hybrids and conventional gasoline and diesel vehicles. • Fuel Cell Durability and Reliability. Fuel cell systems are not yet as durable as internal combustion engines and do not perform as well in extreme environments, such as in sub-freezing temperatures. • Getting Hydrogen to Consumers. New facilities and systems must be constructed for producing, transporting, and dispensing hydrogen to consumers. • Safety. Hydrogen, like any fuel, has safety risks and must be handled with caution.

Is there a future for it? • These vehicles are in the early stages of development, and several challenges must be overcome before these vehicles will be competitive with conventional vehicles. • Manufacturers are still improving the efficiency of gasoline and diesel powered engines, hybrids are gaining popularity, and advances in battery technology are making plug-in hybrids and electric vehicles more attractive. So fuel cell cars will have to offer consumers a viable alternative, especially in terms of performance, durability, and cost, to survive in this ultra-competitive market.

Isabel Sharp Solar power

How does it work? The most way is through the use of photovoltaic (PV) technology, which directly transforms sunlight into electricity. A solar panel is made up of sections of the solar cells. When visible to photons found in sunlight, some electrons of the solar cells are knocked loose. These loose electrons create an electrical current which can be used for electricity. Another way that solar power works is through the use of solar thermal collectors, which capture heat from the sun. Solar thermal collectors are put into three different groups low, medium , and high-temperature collectors. Low temperature collectors are flat plates normally used to heat swimming pools. Medium-temperature collectors are flat plates used to make hot water for housing and money-making. High temperature collectors are used mostly for electric power making

Good and bad points about solar power • Good points • It’s free energy (when its sunny) • Pollution free. • The panels last sometimes more then 30 years. • You can use there batteries for night time use. • The panels can be installed anywhere. • You don’t have to harm the land because the energy comes from the sun. • It doesn’t produce any carbon dioxide. • Bad points • Doesn’t work very well when it’s raining. • You won’t get as much power when it’s a really cloudy day. • Expensive to put in. • Takes up a lot of space. • People can be silly with them (use them freely) • They can be eye sores. • Solar cells are not completely efficient yet.

Solar power in the future? Some people think there will be a future for solar power. When we run out of fossil fuels they think that solar power will be are main energy source. But their big worry is the cost of solar power, they fear that it is just to expensive to install. They also think that when we are running low on fossil fuels that there will be a point that fossil fuel and solar power will be worth the same. I think there will be a great future for solar power 

Wind is simply air in motion. It is caused by the uneven heating of the Earth's surface by the sun. Because the Earth's surface is made of very different types of land and water, it absorbs the sun's heat at different rates. One example of this uneven heating can be found in the daily wind cycle. During the day, the air above the land heats up more quickly than the air over water. The warm air over the land expands and rises, and the heavier, cooler air rushes in to take its place, creating wind. At night, the winds are reversed because the air cools more rapidly over land than over water. By Shannon

Good points. • A windmill on a farm can make only a small amount of electricity - enough to power a few farm machines. To make enough electricity to serve lots of people, power companies build "wind farms" with dozens of huge wind turbines. • Wind farms are built in flat, open areas where the wind blows at least 14 miles per hour. Iowa currently has more than 600 wind turbines, producing enough electricity to power 140,000 homes. Minnesota and Wisconsin are also home to wind farms – and the number is growing every day. By Shannon

Bad points • The oil shortages of the 1970s changed the energy picture for the Country and the world. It created an interest in alternative energy sources, paving the way for the re-entry of the windmill to generate electricity. In the early 1980s, wind energy really took off in California, partly because of State policies that encouraged renewable energy sources. • In the 1970s, oil shortages pushed the development of alternative energy sources. In the 1990s, the push came from a renewed concern for the environment in response to scientific studies indicating potential changes to the global climate if the use of fossil fuels continues to increase. Wind energy is an economical power resource in many areas of the country • Growing concern about emissions from fossil fuel generation, increased government support, and higher costs for fossil fuels (especially natural gas and coal) have helped wind power capacity in the United States grow substantially over the past 10 years. By Shannon

The future’s wind turbines! • Wind power By Shannon

Waves!!! All about waves! By Sim

How do they work? By Sim Waves Transform Energy Over Vast Distances – Were They Make Landfall. They Impact A Watery Pulse Upon Intertidal Zones And Trim Back Coastal Sand Dunes As They Creep Towards The Sea. Intertidal zones = The Intertidal Zone Is The Area Of The Sea Floor That Lies Between The High Plus Low Tide Marks It Also Bridging The Gap Between Land And Sea. Coastal Sand Dunes = Coastal Sand Dunes Are Dynamic But Fragile Buffer Zones Of Sand And Vegetation That Form Where The Following Three Characteristics Can Be Found!

The Good Points! By Sim It Is A Renewable Source Of Power One of the advantages of wave energy is that it is completely renewable and sustainable, with no effort made on the part of humans to make sure this cycle continues. No Damage During Tidal And Wave Energy Recovery Wave energy advantages include the fact that recovering this power does not cause massive damage to the earth. Better National Security And A Domestic Energy Supply Wave energy advantages include those to national security and the energy supply. With power from the ocean there is no need to rely on foreign supplies of fossil fuels, or to experience price fluctuations due to global concerns.

The bad points By Sim Waves are a result of the effects of wind on the oceans and seas. This wind originates from the major influx of energy to this planet: solar energy from the sun. The energy contained within waves is around the world is huge; in some places values of 70MW/km of wave front are experienced. In theory it could then be said that huge generating stations could be built which would capture all this energy and supply all or most of our needs.

Is there a future for waves? Yes there is a future for waves as long as we don’t do too much pollution. By Sim

Information on biomass Biomass is the oldest of all “renewable” energy. Plants and animal waste, generally organic materials, contain this precious and important resource. Biomass is renewable because of the process of which it is formed. Biomass is made up of solar energy, carbon dioxide and water. Plants produce biomass through the photosynthesis process they do, the chlorophyll in the plants absorbs the sun's energy by inhaling carbon dioxide and changing it into carbohydrates. Plants then take from the air and water stored in the ground when making the carbohydrates. When the carbohydrates are burned, they convert back into carbon dioxide and water, thereby releasing the sun's energy back into the atmosphere. Some types of biomass are plants, wood, grass, animal waste, landfill waste, and also sewer waste. The most typical and often used method of accessing the biomass in these materials is through burning; however, this creates environmental problems and most of the energy gets lost when biomass is burned. By Luke

How does it work The most simple way of using biomass to produce energy is burning. The energy can be used as light and heat or can be transformed to produce electricity by boiling water, which produces steam and spins a turbine. The more high-tech methods of extracting energy from biomass involve transforming the physical organic matter itself into a more combustible material. Hydro gasification adds hydrogen gas to carbon in biomass to produce highly flammable methane. Hydrogenation actually converts biomass into oil by combining it with carbon monoxide. Other methods convert biomass into fuels that can be used everyday in trucks and cars. Another use of biomass energy is mulching, which uses the organic content of biomass to fertilize soil and feed plants. By Luke

The advantages and disadvantages The Advantages • The biggest advantage of biomass energy is that it is renewable. Plants and trees can be grown for use, and they can be re-grown again and again on the same piece of land. • Another major advantage of biomass is that it helps reduce waste. Everyday, million of tonnes of waste is produced which includes biodegradable waste, hazardous wastes, recyclable waste, construction waste and assorted waste. Normally, waste is dumped in the landfill, which causes widespread pollution. When the waste is utilized as biomass, the problem of pollution is solved and energy is also obtained. The Disadvantages • As compared to fossil fuels, biomass energy is quite expensive to use. This is mainly because a lot of research is still needed to be done, methods of extraction have to be refined, and biological matter for the biomass has to be consolidated. • Another disadvantage of biomass energy is that it causes air pollution, just the same manner as the fossil fuels. By Luke

Is there a future for biomass? I think there could be a future for biomass because, when all of the fossil fuels are used up, biomass will be a good way to produce energy. Though it pollutes the atmosphere, fossil fuels pollute the atmosphere just as well. However, biomass also uses wastes and will help reduce wastes and pollution from landfill. So actually, biomass does not pollute as much as fossil fuels if you think of it this way. In fact I think that we could use more of biomass energy now instead of using non-renewable energy, as only around 14% of the world's main energy consumption is biomass energy. By Luke

Biodiesel For Cars max.m

How It works The principal of how it works in a car is basically the same as normal diesel, you put it in, it ignites and starts the car, however is you have a diesel car and you want to put biodiesel in you need to make certain adjustments. You can use different types of crops to make biodiesel, soybean, sunflower, groundnuts and canola.

The Good And Bad Points Pros Less C⁰2 comes out your car. It is not as harsh on your engine. It is cheaper than petrol, diesel. It can be homemade. Cons (There is basically only one Con) If you take away the land used to make food and use it for biodiesel, then there will be less land to grow food while the demand for food climbs (this is very much a one sided story)

Is There A Future For It? Definitely, most of Europe has already started to switch from petrol/diesel to biodiesel and the demand for it else where is very high.

Electric Cars By Yulia Ellis

How it Works Electric cars are the newest invention. The work like regular cars except they do not have a combustion engine. So there is no need for gasoline. The motor is powered by lots of batteries. The batteries are powered by being arranged in a row and then their powers are combined to produce enough current for the car to move. As the car moves the power is sued up. The batteries can be recharged after the car has made some miles.

The Good and bad • The good points: • They reduce pollution and reduce global warming. • They save gasoline for things that gasoline is needed for. • You save money from not using gasoline. • They will eventually reduce the price of gasoline. • The bad points: • It is not extremely reliable because if you run out of battery you are likely to crash. • The electricity bill will be high. • The batteries will get old and stop working which means you have to pay a lot of money for new batteries.

Is there a future? There might be a future for electric cars but not right now. People are debating whether you can rely on them or not which is slowing down the process. Car manufacturers such as the ‘Nissan Leaf’ are said to have a whole stock ready for selling in 2012. The newspapers say that the electric cars are not reliable and that they are rubbish, that’s why they haven’t succeeded in the past. Also, nobody wants to buy a car which is at least £14,000 and has not been proved to work. People are doubting that the car is ‘green’ and can help the environment.

Wave power By Grace

Wave energy refers to any process that derives power from the movement of waves on the surface of a body of water. The energy in waves comes from wind, which is driven by unequal heating of the Earth by the sun. Wave energy is a very clean and renewable source of energy. It's not the same as tidal power, which uses the regular ebb and flow of the ocean to generate power. Instead there are several different methods of creating electricity from the movement of waves through water While water in a wave appears to move is single direction, in fact it is only the wave that propagates in that fashion. Individual molecules of water move in an ellipse and end where they began before the wave. It is this elliptical movement of the water, and anything floating in it, that is harnessed to produce wave energy. Introduction

1.Tidal And Wave Energy Is Predictable One of the biggest wave energy advantages is that this alternative energy source is predictable, and that is not true of most alternative sources. The waves will continue to form and move, and severe weather in the ocean only increases the energy potential of the waves. 2.It Is A Renewable Source Of Power One of the advantages of wave energy is that it is completely renewable and sustainable, with no effort made on the part of humans to make sure this cycle continues. There is enough power in the oceans of the world to power the globe many times over each year. Good Points (And Bad Points?) On Wave Energy

3.No Damage During Tidal And Wave Energy Recovery Wave energy advantages include the fact that recovering this power does not cause massive damage to the earth. Recovering fossil fuels can be very damaging, and leave large holes or craters and other damage to the land. Capturing the movement of the ocean and using it does not damage the surrounding areas. 4.Reduce Pollution And Greenhouse Gas Emissions Less pollution and Greenhouse Gas Reduction is one of the most important advantages of wave energy. This power source does not release any particulates or Greenhouse gases which contribute to smog and global warming. 5.Better National Security And A Domestic Energy Supply Wave energy advantages include those to national security and the energy supply. With power from the ocean there is no need to rely on foreign supplies of fossil fuels, or to experience price fluctuations due to global concerns. This source can be utilized domestically instead. Good Points And (And Bad Points?) On Wave Energy

Future For Wave Energy • Wave Energy has been given financial support to investigate the possibility for a full-scale implementation of a Wave Energy-structure in connection with the jetty reconstruction project at the Port of Garibaldi in Oregon, US. The initial budget for the first stage of the technical feasibility study is approximately 600 000 NOKs, of which 270 000 will be covered by Innovation Norway through their ”high Growth”-program. The study is split into two phases where phase 1 commenced in April, and is expected to be finalised by the end of July. • Pending the results of phase 1, the second phase determining implementation and building methods of the Wave Energy-structure will start in September 2010 with the 1st of October 2011 targeted for phase 2 completion. • General Manager of Wave Energy, Monika Bakke, underlines the project´s importance for promoting strategic alliances and building stronger partnerships in the US • – North America is an important market for our technology and an important part in our long-term business strategy, Ms Bakke said, and added; • – We believe the Port of Garibaldi-project will be a reference project that will open doors in the North American market.

How it works • A huge dam (called a "barrage") is built across a river estuary. When the tide goes in and out, the water flows through tunnels in the dam. • The ebb and flow of the tides can be used to turn a turbine, or it can be used to push air through a pipe, which then turns a turbine. Large lock gates, like the ones used on canals, allow ships to pass. • The only operational on in Europe is on the Rance Estuary in Northern France

Pros Once you've built it, tidal power is free. It produces no greenhouse gases or other waste. It needs no fuel. It produces electricity reliably. Not expensive to maintain. Tides are totally predictable. Offshore turbines and vertical-axis turbines are not ruinously expensive to build and do not have a large environmental impact. Cons A barrage across an estuary is very expensive to build, and affects a very wide area The environment is changed for many miles upstream and downstream, especially the birds There are few suitable sites for tidal barrages. Only provides power for around 10 hours each day, when the tide is actually moving in or out. Wave power

Waves – the future • Lots of universities are trying design systems that have less impact than barrages, which do have a heavy environmental impacts Proposed for Strangford Loch N Ireland A study by Swansea University Research in Canada

Hydro power from rivers • There are many hydro-electric power stations, providing around 20% of the world's electricity. A dam is built to trap water, usually in a valley where there is an existing lake. • Water is allowed to flow through tunnels in the dam, to turn turbines and thus drive generators. • Notice that the dam is much thicker at the bottom than at the top, because the pressure of the water increases with depth.

Pros Once the dam is built, the energy is virtually free. No waste or pollution produced. Very reliable Water can be stored and used when needed Hydro-electric power stations can increase to full power very quickly, unlike other power stations. Electricity can be generated constantly. Cons Very expensive to build. However, many dams are also used for flood control or irrigation, so building costs can be shared. Building a large dam will flood a very large area upstream, causing problems for animals that used to live there. Finding a suitable site can be difficult Water quality and quantity downstream can be affected, which can have an impact on plant life Hydro from rivers

Hydro – the future • Currently, it produces 6% of worldwide energy supply and 20% of its electricity. • In the developed world many of the best sites have already been developed. • Most of those which are still possible are in LEDCs. As they are very expensive, LEDCs are not building them themselves. But World bank investments in schemes in the past have led to environmental and social consequences that many local people and organisations like WWF for instance are fighting any new ones. • So while hydro is an important renewable, it is unlikely to grow much more.

Geothermal Power • Hot rocks underground heat water to produce steam. We drill holes down to the hot region, steam comes up, is purified and used to drive turbines, which drive electric generators. • There may be natural "groundwater" in the hot rocks anyway, or we may need to drill more holes and pump water down to them.

Pros Geothermal energy does not produce any pollution The power stations do not take up much room, so there is not much impact on the environment. No fuel is needed. Once you've built a geothermal power station, the energy is almost free Cons The big problem is that there are not many places where you can build a geothermal power station. You need hot rocks of a suitable type, at a depth where we can drill down to them. The type of rock above is also important, it must be of a type that we can easily drill through. Sometimes a geothermal site may "run out of steam", perhaps for decades. Hazardous gases and minerals may come up from underground, and can be difficult to safely dispose of. Geothermal

The future • Using geothermal energy as a means of heating buildings will become more common. For this you take heat from below ground but not that deep down, and use a heat exchanger to warm air that can then heat your home, even in winter. • There are also sites in volcanic regions in the developing world which will be able to generate electricity for the hot rocks

Renewable Energy