Much of the gasoline in the United States is blended with a biofuel—ethanol. This is the same stuff as in alcoholic drinks, except that it's made from corn that has been heavily processed. There are various ways of making biofuels, but they generally use chemical reactions, fermentation, and heat to break down the starches, sugars, and other molecules in plants. The leftover products are then refined to produce a fuel that cars can use.
On the face of it, biofuels look like a great solution. Cars are a major source of atmospheric carbon dioxide, the main greenhouse gas that causes global warming. But since plants absorb carbon dioxide as they grow, crops grown for biofuels should suck up about as much carbon dioxide as comes out of the tailpipes of cars that burn these fuels. And unlike underground oil reserves, biofuels are a renewable resource since we can always grow more crops to turn into fuel.
Today's solar product offerings go way beyond what most people think of when
they hear the term 'solar power' or 'solar energy' – typically they imagine solar
electric panels on a roof converting sunlight into electricity. While these 'photo voltaic'
panels do represent a piece of the solar pie, many more solar-powered products and technologies
utilizing the sun's energy now exist. One of the biggest is solar hot water, whether for
residential or
commercial the use of the sun's
heat to warm a potable water supply instead
of electricity is a very efficient method and truly cost-effective.
Solar HVAC systems, battery-backed off-grid systems, solar farms and more are at the forefront of the
solar power world innovations, with more to come. Add this site to your Favorites to keep up with all the latest developments.
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.
If one was built across the Severn Estuary, the tides
at Weston-super-Mare would not go out nearly as far - there'd be
water to play in for most of the time.
But the Severn Estuary carries sewage and other wastes
from many places (e.g. Bristol & Gloucester) out to sea. A tidal
barrage would mean that this stuff would hang around Weston-super-Mare
an awful lot longer!
Also, if you're one of the 80,000+ birds that feeds
on the exposed mud flats when the tide goes out, then you have a
problem, because the tide won't be going out properly any more.
Tidal BarragesA tidal barrage is basically a huge dam that is built across a river or estuary. Tunnels are built throughout the dam, and when the tide rises and falls it turns a turbine that generates power. Tidal FencesTidal fences are giant turnstiles that have vertical axis turbines mounted on a fence. The water passes through the fence and powers the turbines. Tidal TurbinesTidal turbines are the latest water power technology used in tidal areas. They look like wind turbines that are lined together underwater. They are used to capture strong tidal flows, so they have to be built extra strong.
Wave energy is an irregular and oscillating low-frequency energy source that can be converted to a 60-Hertz frequency
Kinetic energy, the energy of motion, in waves is tremendous. An average 4-foot, 10-second wave striking a coast puts out more than 35,000 horsepower per mile of coast.
It varies in intensity, but it is available twenty-four hours a day, 365 days a year.
Because wave energy needs only 1/200 the land area of wind and requires no access roads, infrastructure costs are less;
or now, the best wave generator technology in place in the United Kingdom is producing energy at an average projected/assessed cost of 7.5 cents kWh. In comparison, electricity generated by large scale coal burning power plants costs about 2.6 cents per kilowatt-hour.
the sun shines, wave energy will never be depleted
As long as
produce energy at about 4.5 cents kWh.
7.5 cents kWh
In comparison, electricity generated by large scale coal burning power plants costs about 2.6 cents per kilowatt-hour.
about 3 cents per kilowatt hour
Wave energy devices are quieter and much less visually obtrusive than wind devices
We have always used the energy of the sun as far back as humans have existed on this planet. As far back as 5,000 years ago, people "worshipped" the sun. Ra, the sun-god, who was considered the first king of Egypt.
We have always used the energy of the sun as far back as humans have existed on this planet. As far back as 5,000 years ago, people "worshipped" the sun.
Ra, the sun-god, who was considered the first king of Egypt
When sunlight strikes the solar cell, electrons (red circles) are knocked loose. They move toward the treated front surface (dark blue color).
An electron imbalance is created between the front and back.
When the two surfaces are joined by a connector, like a wire, a current of electricity occurs between the negative and positive sides.
These individual solar cells are arranged together in a PV module and the modules are grouped together in an array. Some of the arrays are set on special tracking devices to follow sunlight all day long.
Tidal stream systems need to be located in areas with fast currents where natural flows are concentrated between obstructions, for example at the entrances to bays and rivers, around rocky points, headlands, or between islands or other land masses.
"Tidal stream systems need to be located in areas with fast currents where natural flows are concentrated between obstructions, for example at the entrances to bays and rivers, around rocky points, headlands, or between islands or other land masses."
Burning one gallon of gas creates 20 pounds of carbon dioxide, and the average car emits about six tons of carbon dioxide every year
So... let's accept that global warming is caused by greenhouse gasses, chief among them carbon dioxide. Cars emit carbon dioxide as part of their emissions...
More than 70% of Earth's surface is covered by oceans which contain two types of energy:
mechanical energy from waves and tides and
Thermal energy from solar radiations falling on the ocean surface making them the world's largest solar collectors
Barrage systems. This system, built like a dam across a river, holds back the water till the tide has gone out, then uses the potential energy of the water to turn turbines in the barrage. This is an expensive system with many disadvantages.
Tidal Stream systems. This consists of using turbines, rather like wind turbines, to use the kinetic power of the moving water to generate electricity. This is easier and cheaper to install.
There are three Barrage systems operating throughout the world.
One large 240 MW plant on the Rance River in France, and two small plants,
one in the Bay of Fundy in Canada, and
another in Kislaya Guba in Russia.
Tidal stream generators (or TSGs) make use of the kinetic energy of moving water to power turbines, in a similar way to wind turbines that use wind to power turbines. Some tidal generators can be built into the structures of existing bridges, involving virtually no aesthetic problems. Likewise, “tidal bridging” is a relatively new advancement that is gaining recognition as a more practical and beneficial way to generate tidal power.
"Tidal stream generators (or TSGs) make use of the kinetic energy of moving water to power turbines, in a similar way to wind turbines that use wind to power turbines. Some tidal generators can be built into the structures of existing bridges, involving virtually no aesthetic problems. Likewise, "tidal bridging" is a relatively new advancement that is gaining recognition as a more practical and beneficial way to generate tidal power."
450 TWh is the estimated yearly potential of electric power that can be produced from tidal energy. In addition to this comes a large and not yet estimated potential in river flows.
Tidal stream generators are very similar to wind turbines except their below the water surface instead of above or on land. The turbine and generator converts the movement of water coming from change in tide, the kinetic energy, into electricity. Water is 830 times denser than air and therefore can generate electricity at lower speeds than wind turbines.
Waves are generated by winds blowing over the ocean surface. Wave energy is effectively a stored and concentrated form of solar energy since the winds that produce them are caused by pressure differences in the atmosphere caused by the sun's differential heating of the earth's surface. Waves can efficiently transport energy for thousands of miles and retain their energy long after the winds that first created them have died down, which makes waves one of the most concentrated and consistent sources of renewable energy.
Globally, the potential use of wave power is, unsurprisingly, limited to areas of the world where there are waves. On a global scale, this is dictated by global wind patterns, with the result that waves are more prevalent in the mid-latitudes (40-60(N/S), than nearer the equator where the lack of ocean wind is referred to as the 'doldrums'. Interestingly, this potential for wave power contrasts with that of solar power, which is more effective in lower latitudes
it is widely anticipated that other types of renewable resources, including wave energy, will need to be developed in order to meet more challenging targets beyond 2020.
As with most renewable energy sources, wave devices have no emissions during generation but the energy associated with the construction of the device does have small associated emissions.
What do we need to do in the future to make this work.
it is essential that the current demonstration schemes are successful, to reassure future investors. The most important objective is to deploy full-size demonstration schemes in order to gain greater confidence in the most developed technologies (as in the EU's Atlas project).
it will be necessary to significantly improve the network connections to the electricity suppliers.
Except for South Korea,not other government in the world is really pushing Tidal Wave Energy which needs massive government support at this stage of development.
Tidal Technology is still in the baby phase
Most of the tidal power plants using the modern tidal turbine technology are still in the pilot phase and generate negligible power.However tidal power stations have the potential to generate large amounts of energy in a non-polluting way
Solar potential from very large scale solar power plants
State
Land used (sq mi)
Potential (GWp)
Annual generation (TWh)
Arizona
19,279
2,468
5,837
California
6,853
877
2,075
Colorado
2,124
272
643
Nevada
5,589
715
1,692
New Mexico
15,156
1,940
4,588
Texas
1,162
149
351
Utah
3,564
456
1,079
6,877
Total generation in the United States is about 3,800 TWh.[11]
) systems. This was double the 435 MW installed in 2009 around the U.S.[16]
According to a 2011 survey conducted by independent polling firm Kelton Research, nine out of 10 Americans support the use and development of solar technology. Eight out of 10 respondents indicated that "the federal government should support solar manufacturing in the U.S. and should give federal subsidies for solar energy".[17] According to the Energy Information Administration, in 2010, subsidies to the solar power industry amounted to 8.2% ($968 million) of all federal subsidies for electricity generation.[18]
Solar Energy Industries Association and GTM Research found that the amount of new solar electric capacity increased in 2012 by 76 percent from 2011, raising the United States’ market share of the world’s installations above 10 percent, up from roughly 5 to 7 percent in the last seven years. [19]
All Soymet biofuel products have zero petroleum toxins and lower emissions. Primary byproducts are carbon dioxide and water vapor. These biodiesel fuels burn cleanly and produce the same amount of energy as conventional diesel fuels.
Tidal power is the only technology that draws on energy inherent in the orbital characteristics of the Earth–Moon system, and to a lesser extent in the Earth–Sun system.
A tidal generator converts the energy of tidal flows into electricity. Greater tidal variation and higher tidal current velocities can dramatically increase the potential of a site for tidal electricity generation
Earth is composed mainly of bodies of water---about 71 percent of the earth's surface is water. Ninety-seven percent of that is found in the oceans. Because the earth's surface is curved, the sun heats it unevenly. This causes winds to blow across the water and generate waves. The sun and moon also exert their gravitational pull on the earth, triggering wave-producing tides. Wave motion energy can be harnessed and generated into electricity.