Renewable Energy

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Renewable Energy

Renewable energy is a term tossed around with increasing frequency these days, but what does it mean? Simply put, renewable energy is any energy that can be reused for the foreseeable future and expanded to meet future demands. Examples of renewable energy are solar power, wind power, and hydro or tidal power. Each of these sources of energy alone has enough untapped potential to meet or exceed our power requirements.

For instance the sun gives the earth 8,000 times the amount of energy humanity uses every year. The existing untapped wind energy is a more modest 50 times our annual consumption. Hydro electric, tidal, and wave power are also rich sources waiting to be tapped. The energy is there if we just harness it for our use.

Our current energy situation is quite the reverse of the ideal we are seeking. Right now over 95% of our global energy comes from non-renewable sources. Natural gas, coal, and oil are the largest sources of electric and heating energy. All of those materials exist in finite supply on this planet, and we do not have the technology to replenish them on the scale we are using them.

Why is this a problem? History tells the story for us. When we overuse a non-renewable resource the price skyrockets to un-maintainable levels. In 2007 the United States witnessed the effects of enormous global demand for crude oil. Some parts of the country saw gas prices topping $4 a gallon. That was only the beginning of the spike however.

Renewable energy on the other hand is maintainable because it is tapped within the energy source’s means to replenish. For instance the sun showers the earth with enough energy in 1 year to meet our energy needs for nearly a millennium. That energy fuels the water cycle and prevailing winds, both of which contain more than enough energy to meet our needs as well.

The chief barriers to renewable energy lie in the existing infrastructure. We currently have a power grid built around peak demand. Our power plants require expensive fuel to run, and so they run only at a fraction of capacity. They are ramped up in capacity as demand for electricity peaks, and then back down as it ebbs. However renewable energy sources do not work on demand like that. The sun shines or clouds cover it; but either way night inevitably comes. The winds blow hard or not at all some days.

What we need is a system to store the excess energy created via these abundant sources so that it can be used when demand peaks. The output of solar and wind energy cannot be set to peak on demand, so instead we need to store for when the peak demand hits. This will require a re-designed grid that incorporates more than just power plants, sub stations, and transmission lines. It will require batteries capable of storing megawatts of energy for release on demand.

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Renewable energy is a term tossed around with increasing frequency these days, but what does it mean? Simply put, renewable energy is any energy that can be reused for the foreseeable future and expanded to meet future demands. Examples of renewable energy are solar power, wind power, and hydro or tidal power. Each of these sources of energy alone has enough untapped potential to meet or exceed our power requirements.

For instance the sun gives the earth 8,000 times the amount of energy humanity uses every year. The existing untapped wind energy is a more modest 50 times our annual consumption. Hydro electric, tidal, and wave power are also rich sources waiting to be tapped. The energy is there if we just harness it for our use.

Our current energy situation is quite the reverse of the ideal we are seeking. Right now over 95% of our global energy comes from non-renewable sources. Natural gas, coal, and oil are the largest sources of electric and heating energy. All of those materials exist in finite supply on this planet, and we do not have the technology to replenish them on the scale we are using them.

Why is this a problem? History tells the story for us. When we overuse a non-renewable resource the price skyrockets to un-maintainable levels. In 2007 the United States witnessed the effects of enormous global demand for crude oil. Some parts of the country saw gas prices topping $4 a gallon. That was only the beginning of the spike however.

Renewable energy on the other hand is maintainable because it is tapped within the energy source’s means to replenish. For instance the sun showers the earth with enough energy in 1 year to meet our energy needs for nearly a millennium. That energy fuels the water cycle and prevailing winds, both of which contain more than enough energy to meet our needs as well.

The chief barriers to renewable energy lie in the existing infrastructure. We currently have a power grid built around peak demand. Our power plants require expensive fuel to run, and so they run only at a fraction of capacity. They are ramped up in capacity as demand for electricity peaks, and then back down as it ebbs. However renewable energy sources do not work on demand like that. The sun shines or clouds cover it; but either way night inevitably comes. The winds blow hard or not at all some days.

What we need is a system to store the excess energy created via these abundant sources so that it can be used when demand peaks. The output of solar and wind energy cannot be set to peak on demand, so instead we need to store for when the peak demand hits. This will require a re-designed grid that incorporates more than just power plants, sub stations, and transmission lines. It will require batteries capable of storing megawatts of energy for release on demand.

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