Alternative energy

Alternative energy is often referenced as: any energy source that is an

alternative to fossil fuel. These alternatives are intended to address
concerns about such fossil fuels. For example, they typically pollute less
among other supposed benefits.
In a general sense, alternative energy as it is currently conceived is that
which is produced or recovered without the undesirable consequences
inherent in fossil fuel use, particularly high carbon dioxide emissions
(greenhouse gas), an important factor in global warming .
Common types of alternative energy
Hydro electricity captures energy from falling water, Nuclear energy
uses nuclear fission to release energy in storage, Wind energy is the
generation of electricity from the wind, solar energy is the use of sunlight.
Light can be changed into thermal (heat) energy and electric energy,
Geothermal energy is the use of the earth's internal heat to boil water for
heating buildings or generating electricity, Biofuel and Ethanol are plantderived gasoline substitutes for powering vehicles, Hydrogen can serve
as a means of delivering energy produced by various technologies.
Renewable energy is generated from natural resourcessuch as
sunlight, wind, rain, tides and geothermal heatwhich are renewable
(naturally replenished). When comparing the processes for producing
energy, there remain several fundamental differences between
renewable energy and fossil fuels. The process of producing oil, coal, or
natural gas fuel is a difficult and demanding process that requires a great
deal of complex equipment, physical and chemical processes. On the
other hand, alternative energy can be widely produced with basic
equipment and natural processes.
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Solar energy
It is an important source of renewable energy and its technologies are
broadly characterized as either passive solar or active solar depending
on the way they capture and distribute solar energy or convert it into
solar power. Active solar techniques include the use of photovoltaic
systems, concentrated solar power and solar water heating to harness
the energy. Passive solar techniques include orienting a building to the
Sun, selecting materials with favorable thermal mass or light dispersing
properties, and designing spaces that naturally circulate air.
Solar energy is radiant light and heat from the Sun The amount of solar
energy reaching the surface of the planet is so vast that in one year it is
about twice as much as will ever be obtained from all of the Earth's nonrenewable resources of coal, oil, natural gas, and mined uranium
combined.
Water heating Solar hot water systems use sunlight to heat water The
most common types of solar water heaters are evacuated tube collectors
(44%) and glazed flat plate collectors (34%) generally used for domestic
hot water; and unglazed plastic collectors (21%) used mainly to heat
swimming pools .
Electricity production Solar power is the conversion of sunlight into
electricity, either directly using photovoltaic (PV), or indirectly using
concentrated solar power (CSP). CSP systems use lenses or mirrors and
tracking systems to focus a large area of sunlight into a small beam. PV
converts light into electric current using the photoelectric effect. Solar
power is anticipated to become the world's largest source of electricity by
2050, with solar photovoltaic and concentrated solar power contributing
16 and 11 percent to the global overall consumption, respectively.

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Wind power
The use of air flow through wind turbines to mechanically power
generators for electricity. Wind power, as an alternative to burning fossil
fuels, is plentiful, renewable, widely distributed, clean, produces no
greenhouse gas emissions during operation, and uses little land.[2] The
net effects on the environment are far less problematic than those of
nonrenewable power sources.
Wind farms consist of many individual wind turbines which are
connected to the electric power transmission network.
Onshore wind is an inexpensive source of electricity, competitive with or
in many places cheaper than coal or gas plants.
Offshore wind is steadier and stronger than on land, and offshore farms
have less visual impact, but construction and maintenance Costs are
considerably higher. Small onshore wind farms can feed some energy
into the grid or provide electricity to isolated off-grid locations.
A transmission line is required to bring the generated power to (often
remote) markets. For an off-shore plant this may require a submarine
cable. Construction of a new high-voltage line may be too costly for the
wind resource alone, but wind sites may take advantage of lines installed
for conventionally fueled generation.
One of the biggest current challenges to wind power grid integration in
the United States is the necessity of developing new transmission lines
to carry power from wind farms, usually on the coasts where population
density is higher. The current transmission lines in remote locations were
not designed for the transport of large amounts of energy .As
transmission lines become longer the losses associated with power
transmission increase, making it harder to transport large loads over
large distances.
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Geothermal energy
The geothermal energy of the Earth's crust originates from the original
Formation of the planet and from radioactive decay of materials .The
geothermal gradient, which is the difference in temperature between the
core of the planet and its surface, drives a continuous conduction of
thermal energy in the form of heat from the core to the surface.
Earth's formation Temperatures at the coremantle boundary may reach
over 4000 C (7,200 F). Rock and water is heated in the crust,
sometimes up to 370 C (700 F).
Geothermal power is cost effective, reliable, sustainable, and
environmentally friendly. Geothermal electric plants were traditionally
built exclusively on the edges of tectonic plates where high temperature
geothermal resources are available near the surface. Geothermal

energy comes in either vapor-dominated or liquid-dominated forms.

Vapor-dominated sites offer temperatures from 240 to 300 C that
Produce superheated steam.
Liquid-dominated plants Liquid-dominated reservoirs (LDRs) were
more common with temperatures greater than 200 C (392 F) and are
found near young volcanoes surrounding the Pacific Ocean and in rift
zones and hot spots. Flash plants are the common way to generate
electricity from these sources. Pumps are generally not required,
powered instead when the water turns to steam the largest liquid system
is Cerro Prieto in Mexico, which generates 750 MWe from temperatures
reaching 350 C (662 F).
Lower temperature LDRs (120200 C) require pumping. They are
common in extensional terrains, where heating takes place via deep
circulation along faults, such as in the Western US and Turkey.
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Hydroelectricity
Hydroelectricity is the term referring to electricity generated by
hydropower; the production of electrical power through the use of the
gravitational force of falling or flowing water. It is the most widely used
form of renewable energy, accounting for 16 percent of global electricity
generation 3,427 terawatt-hours of electricity production in 2010,[1] and
is expected to increase about 3.1% each year for the next 25 years.
The cost of hydroelectricity is relatively low, making it a competitive
source of renewable electricity.
Generating methods
Conventional (dams) most hydroelectric power comes from the
potential energy of dammed water driving a water turbine and generator.
The power extracted from the water depends on the volume and on the
difference in height between the source and the water's outflow. This
height difference is called the head.
Run-of-the-river hydroelectric stations are those with small or no
reservoir capacity, so that only the water coming from upstream is
available for generation at that moment, and any oversupply must pass
unused. A constant supply of water from a lake or existing reservoir
upstream is a significant advantage in choosing sites for run-of-the-river.
Tide a tidal power station makes use of the daily rise and fall of ocean
water due to tides; such sources are highly predictable, and if conditions
permit construction of reservoirs, can also be dispatchable to generate
power during high demand periods.

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Bio-fuel
A biofuel is a fuel that is produced through contemporary biological
processes, such as agriculture and anaerobic digestion, rather than a
fuel produced by geological processes such as those involved in the
formation of fossil fuels, such as coal and petroleum, from prehistoric
biological matter. Biofuels can be derived directly from plants, or
indirectly from agricultural, commercial, domestic, and/or industrial
wastes. Other renewable biofuels are made through the use or
conversion of biomass this biomass can be converted to convenient
energy containing substances in three different ways: thermal
conversion, chemical conversion, and biochemical conversion. This
biomass conversion can result in fuel in solid, liquid, or gas form. This
new biomass can also be used directly for biofuels.
Most transportation fuels are liquids, because vehicles usually require
high energy density. This occurs naturally in liquids and solids. High
energy density can also be provided by an internal combustion engine.
These engines require clean-burning fuels. The fuels that are easiest to
burn cleanly are typically liquids and gases. Thus, liquids meet the
requirements of being energy-dense and clean- burning. In addition,
liquids (and gases) can be pumped, which means handling is easily
mechanized, and thus less laborious.
First-generation biofuels

made from sugar, starch, or vegetable oil

Ethanol Biologically produced alcohols, most commonly ethanol, and

less commonly propanol and butanol, are produced by the action of
microorganisms and enzymes through the fermentation of sugars or
starches (easiest), or cellulose (which is more difficult). Biobutanol (also
called biogasoline) is often claimed to provide a direct replacement for
gasoline, because it can be used directly in a gasoline engine.
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Biodiesel Biodiesel is the most common biofuel in Europe. It is produced

from oils or fats using transesterification and is a liquid similar in
composition to fossil/mineral diesel. Chemically, it consists mostly of fatty
acid methyl (or ethyl) esters (FAMEs). Feedstocks for biodiesel include
animal fats, vegetable oils, soy, rapeseed, jatropha, mahua, mustard,
flax, sunflower, palm oil, hemp, field pennycress, Pongamia pinnata and
algae.
Green diesel Green diesel is produced through hydrocracking biological
oil feed stocks, such as vegetable oils and animal fats. Hydrocracking is
a refinery method that uses elevated temperatures and pressure in the
presence of a catalyst to break down larger molecules, such as those
found in vegetable oils, into shorter hydrocarbon chains used in diesel
engines
Biofuel gasoline In 2013 UK researchers developed a genetically
modified strain of Escherichia coli (E.Coli), which could transform
glucose into biofuel gasoline that does not need to be blended.
Syngas, a mixture of carbon monoxide, hydrogen and other
hydrocarbons, is produced by partial combustion of biomass, that is,
combustion with an amount of oxygen that is not sufficient to convert the
biomass completely to carbon dioxide and water.[31] Before partial
combustion, the biomass is dried, and sometimes pyrolysed. The
resulting gas mixture, syngas, is more efficient than direct combustion of
the original biofuel; more of the energy contained in the fuel is extracted.
Second-generation (advanced) biofuels
Second generation biofuels, also known as advanced biofuels, are fuels
that can be manufactured from various types of biomass. Biomass is a
wide-ranging term meaning any source of organic carbon that is renewed
rapidly as part of the carbon cycle. Biomass is derived from plant
materials but can also include animal materials.

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New Energy Trends

Marine energy Marine energy or marine power (also sometimes
referred to as ocean energy, ocean power, or marine and hydrokinetic
energy) refers to the energy carried by ocean waves, tides, salinity, and
ocean temperature differences. The movement of water in the worlds
oceans creates a vast store of kinetic energy, or energy in motion. This
energy can be harnessed to generate electricity to power homes,
transport and industries.

Carbon-neutral and negative fuels Carbon-neutral fuels are synthetic

fuels (including methane, gasoline, diesel fuel, jet fuel or ammonia)
produced by hydrogenating waste carbon dioxide recycled from power
plant flue-gas emissions, recovered from automotive exhaust gas, or
derived from carbonic acid in seawater. Commercial fuel synthesis
companies suggest they can produce synthetic fuels for less than
petroleum fuels when oil costs more than $55 per barrel. Renewable
methanol (RM) is a fuel produced from hydrogen and carbon dioxide by
catalytic hydrogenation where the hydrogen has been obtained from
water electrolysis. It can be blended into transportation fuel or processed
as a chemical feedstock.
Algae fuel Algae fuel is a biofuel which is derived from algae. During
photosynthesis, algae and other photosynthetic organisms capture
carbon dioxide and sunlight and convert it into oxygen and biomass. This
is usually done by placing the algae between two panes of glass. The
algae creates three forms of energy fuel: heat (from its growth cycle),
biofuel (the natural "oil" derived from the algae), and biomass (from the
algae itself, as it is harvested upon maturity).

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