Alternative Energy Systems
Alternative Energy Videos:
Global Energy Solutions
These are some global solutions to the problems of energy independence, peak oil, climate change, global warming, an inconvenient truth, resource conflict.
They include hydrogen, electric, fuel cell, hybrid, solar and wind technology, including vertical and horizontal axis turbines.
Renewable energy effectively uses natural resources such as sunlight, wind, rain, tides and geothermal heat, which may be naturally replenished. Renewable energy technologies range from solar power, wind power, hydroelectricity/micro hydro, biomass and biofuels for transportation.
In 2006, about 18 percent of global final energy consumption came from renewables, with 13% coming from traditional biomass, like wood-burning. Hydropower was the next largest renewable source, providing 3%, followed by hot water/heating which contributed 1.3%. Modern technologies, such as geothermal, wind, solar, and ocean energy together provided some 0.8% of final energy consumption. The technical potential for their use is very large, exceeding all other readily available sources.
Renewable energy technologies are sometimes criticised for being intermittent or unsightly, yet the market is growing for many forms of renewable energy. Wind power has a worldwide installed capacity of over 100 GW and is widely used in several European countries and the USA. The manufacturing output of the photovoltaics industry reached more than 2,000 MW per year in 2006, and PV power plants are particularly popular in Germany. Solar thermal power stations operate in the USA and Spain, and the largest of these is the 354 MW SEGS power plant in the Mojave Desert. The world’s largest geothermal power installation is The Geysers in California, with a rated capacity of 750 MW. Brazil has one of the largest renewable energy programs in the world, involving production of ethanol fuel from sugar cane, and ethanol now provides 18 percent of the country’s automotive fuel. Ethanol fuel is also widely available in the USA.
While there are many large-scale renewable energy projects, renewable technologies are also suited to small off-grid applications, sometimes in rural and remote areas, where energy is often crucial in human development. Kenya has the world’s highest household solar ownership rate with roughly 30,000 small (20–100 watt) solar power systems sold per year.
Climate change concerns coupled with high oil prices, peak oil and increasing government support are driving increasing renewable energy legislation, incentives and commercialization. European Union leaders reached an agreement in principle in March 2007 that 20 percent of their nations’ energy should be produced from renewable fuels by 2020, as part of its drive to cut emissions of carbon dioxide, blamed in part for global warming. Investment capital flowing into renewable energy climbed from billion in 2005 to a record 0 billion in 2006. This level of investment combined with continuing double digit percentage increases each year has moved what once was considered alternative energy to mainstream. Wind was the first to provide 1% of electricity, but solar is not far behind. Some very large corporations such as BP, General Electric, Sharp, and Royal Dutch Shell are investing in the renewable energy sector.
Please feel free to rate, comment, subscribe and post a response.
Incoming terms for the article:
No related posts.
February 18th, 2009 at 4:51 pm
Model U: Hydrogen Internal Combustion
The Ford Model U Concept is propelled by an internal combustion engine (ICE) that’s optimized to run on hydrogen fuel instead of gasoline. The engine is supercharged and intercooled for maximum efficiency, power, and range. Its emission of all pollutants, including carbon dioxide, is nearly zero, and the engine is up to 25 percent more fuel-efficient than a typical gasoline engine.
February 18th, 2009 at 4:51 pm
All hail the electric car!
February 18th, 2009 at 4:51 pm
dont be conned by the promise of clean air with hydrogen,the large majority of the worlds hydrogen comes from processes which CREATE GREENHOUSE GASSES! energy is only as clean as the means used to create it.
also in order to extract it you need more energy that you would get from the hydrogen you extract!
look up ‘the hydrogen hoax’ by robert zubrain for the details. peace, and please do not be conned by the hydrogen SCAM!!
February 18th, 2009 at 4:51 pm
As for me I will be driving a Diesel pickup running on palm oil and algae oil gathered from local sources.
February 18th, 2009 at 4:51 pm
Not if you use solar or wind to create the hydrogen, just a thought not sure if solar can do it.
February 18th, 2009 at 4:51 pm
To people who talk about the cost of a hydrogen infrastructure I have this to say:
When someone first suggested electric lighting, people said ‘why have wires in our walls when we have candles?’
Of course it costs a lot more than candles to put those wires in our walls, and it is a lot more complicated, but could anyone go back to candles now?
February 18th, 2009 at 4:51 pm
like i said,quote; “the large MAJORITY of the worlds hydrogen comes from processes which create greenhouse gasses” if you bothered to read the article you would see exactly what i am talking about.using the other method which you are referring to is called ‘electrolysis’ this method IS clean and does NOT create greenhouse gasses.HOWEVER,you have to produce elctricity and amperage for this to happen.more energy is used to extract the H2 than the H2 produced will provide. kinda silly eh? peace
February 18th, 2009 at 4:51 pm
*tut* why dont you just use magnetic pull?
February 18th, 2009 at 4:51 pm
That’s a good point Timmy Tabs. I remember my Dad said that when light bulbs were first becoming popular, many people said they would never have to sleep again because inside their houses, it would always look like day light.
When Benjamin Franklin invented the lightning rod, there was widespread opposition because many people said it was against the will of God. Then lightning his a church in Italy that was full of ammunition. Boom baby! That changed many people’s minds.