Kinds of Renewable Energy

Solar Energy

For billions of years, the sun has poured out huge amounts of energy in several forms, including light, heat, radio waves and even x-rays. The Earth, in orbit around the Sun, intercepts a very small part of the Sun’s immense output. On Earth, the direct sunlight is available from sunrise until sunset, except during solar eclipses. Solar collectors and modules are designed to capture some of the Sun’s energy and change it from radiation into more usable forms such as heat or electricity. In fact, sunlight is an excellent source of heat and electricity, the two most important forms of energy we consume. Solar energy is becoming increasingly popular for remote power needs such as telecommunication towers, agricultural applications (irrigation & pasture management), in tropical countries that are not connected to an electrical grid, for heating swimming pools and many other applications around the world.

Wind Energy

Wind energy is really just another form of solar energy. Sunlight falling on oceans and continents causes air to warm and rise, which in turns generates surface winds. The wind has been used by humans for thousands of years, first to carry ships across oceans and later to pump water and grind grain. More recently, wind has been harnessed as a clean, safe source of electricity.

Biomass Energy

The term “Biomass” refers to any form of plant or animal tissue. In the energy industry, biomass refers to wood, straw, biological waste products such as manure and other natural materials that contain stored energy. The energy stored in biomass can be released by burning the materials directly or by feeding it to micro-organisms that use it to make biogas, a form of natural gas. Energy from biomass is still used around the world, for everything from cooking and heating to generating electricity.

Moving Water

Humans have used water power to supply energy for almost as long as we’ve used wind. Archaeologists have discovered descriptions of water wheels used for grinding grain that date back to more than 3,000 years ago. Today, the energy of falling water is used mainly to drive electrical generators at hydroelectric dams. As long as snow and rainfall can fill the streams and rivers, moving water can be a renewable source of energy.

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Energy is all around us

We use energy every day. It surrounds us in different forms, such as light, heat, chemical energy and electrical energy. Our bodies use the energy stored in molecules of substances like carbohydrates and protein to move, breathe, grow and think. We also use energy to do work and to play. Humans have invented thousands of machines and appliances that use energy to make our work easier, to heat our homes and to get ourselves from place to place. Some of these machines use electricity while others, like automobiles, use the energy stored in substances such as gasoline. These different forms of energy can be grouped into two types; Kinetic Energy & Potential Energy.

Kinetic Energy

Kinetic energy is motion of waves, electron, atoms, molecules, substances and objects.

Electrical Energy: It is the movement of electrical charges. Everything is made of tiny particles called atoms. Atoms are made of even smaller particles called electrons, protons and neutrons. Applying a force can make some of the electrons move. Electrical charges moving through a wire is called electricity. Lighting is another example of electrical energy.

Radiant Energy: It s electromagnetic energy that travels in transverse waves. Radiant energy includes visible lights, x-rays, gamma rays and radio waves. Light is one type of radiant energy. Solar energy is an example of radiant energy.

Thermal/Heat Energy: It is the internal energy in substances- the vibration and movement of the atoms and molecules within the substances. Geothermal energy is an example of thermal energy.

Motion Energy: It is the movement of objects and substances from one place to another. Objects and substances move when a force is applied according to Newton’s Laws of Motion. Wind is an example of motion energy.

Sound Energy: It is the movement of energy through substances in longitudinal (compression/rarefaction) waves. Sound is produced when a force causes an object or substance to vibrate- the energy is transferred through the substance in a wave.

Potential Energy

Potential energy is stored energy and the energy of position– gravitational energy. There are several forms of potential energy.

Chemical Energy: It is the energy stored in the bonds of atoms and molecules. It is the energy that holds these particles together. Biomass, petroleum, natural gas and propane are the examples of stored chemical energy.

Stored Mechanical Energy: It is the energy stored in objects by the application of a force. Compressed springs and stretched rubber bands are some examples of stored mechanical energy.

Nuclear Energy: It is the energy stored in the nucleus of an atom- the energy that holds the nucleus together. The energy can be released when the nuclei are combined or split apart. Nuclear power plants split the nuclei of uranium atoms in a process called fission. The sun combines the nuclei of hydrogen atoms in a process called fusion.

Gravitational Energy: It is the energy of position or place. A rock resting at the top of a hill contains gravitational potential energy. Hydropower, such as water in a reservoir behind a dam, is an example of gravitational potential energy.

Energy is easily converted from one place to another. This is an important and very useful property, because we rarely produce energy using the same device or in the same form as what is needed for the task at hand. Since energy is often produced at some distance from its end use, we also need to transmit it from its source location to where it is needed. This is done by means of wires in the case of electricity or pipelines or tank trucks in the case of oil or natural gas. Not all forms of energy can be easily stored or transported. For instance, light is impossible to store directly. It has to be converted to some other form, such as chemical energy first.

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