Green Energy – The future source of power
Green Energy – The future source of power
Research and advancement in green energy have blossomed over the last three decades, producing hundreds of innovative new technologies that have the potential to lessen our reliance on coal, oil, and natural gas. But what exactly is green energy, and why is it preferable to fossil fuels?
What is Green Energy?
Natural resources like sunshine, wind, rain, tides, plants, algae, and geothermal heat are used to produce green energy. These energy sources can be renewed naturally because they are renewable. Fossil fuels, in contrast, take millions of years to form and will continue to deplete as they are used.
Furthermore, compared to fossil fuels, which as a by-product release greenhouse gases that contribute to global warming, renewable energy sources have a significantly smaller negative environmental impact. Fossil fuels are often only accessible by deep-earth mining or drilling, frequently in ecologically fragile areas.
However, green energy uses resources that are widely accessible all over the world, even in rural and distant locations where there isn't typically access to electricity. Photovoltaic arrays, wind turbines, and other green energy sources are becoming more affordable because to advancements in renewable energy technologies, giving the general public access to power production instead of just oil, gas, coal, and utility businesses.
Fossil fuels can be replaced with green energy in all main uses, notably power, water heating, household appliances, and automobile fuel.
Green Energy types
It might be challenging to keep up with the several forms of green energy that are now under development because research into renewable, non-polluting energy sources is moving forward at such a rapid rate. Six of the most typical forms of green energy are listed below:
Solar Energy
Solar energy is the most common form of renewable energy. Photovoltaic cells are often used to generate solar energy since they can convert sunlight into electricity. Additionally, solar energy is used to cook food, heat water, and offer natural illumination. Solar technology has gotten cheap enough to power everything from tiny handheld devices to huge communities.
Wind Energy
Air movement on the surface of the planet can be exploited to propel turbines, with stronger winds yielding greater energy. The ideal circumstances for collecting the strongest winds typically exist at high altitudes and just offshore. According to studies, a chain of 2.5 megawatt land-based wind turbines working at 20% of rated capacity could generate 1.4 times as much electricity as is currently consumed globally.
Hydro energy
The Earth's water cycle, including evaporation, rainfall, tides, and the force of water flowing through a dam, generates hydropower, also known as hydroelectric power. Annual precipitation levels are necessary for hydropower to produce large amounts of energy.
Geothermal energy
The earth's crust contains enormous thermal energy that was created during both the planet's formation and the radioactive decay of minerals. Humans have used geothermal energy in the form of hot springs for thousands of years for bathing, and it is currently employed to produce electricity. According to the most recent USGS estimate, geothermal systems spread across 13 states have the capacity to produce 9,057 Megawatts of electricity.
Biomass
Compared to fuels based on petroleum, biomass can be produced from recently-living natural resources like wood debris, sawdust, and flammable agricultural waste. That's as a result of the solar energy that is stored in these biomass products.
Biofuels
These sustainable organic materials are occasionally converted into fuel rather than burning biomass to produce energy. Biodiesel and ethanol are notable examples. By 2050, compared to two percent in 2010, biofuels might supply more than 25% of the world's need for transportation fuels.
Scope of green energy
Global use of renewable energy increased by 1.5% in Q1 2020 compared to Q1 2019. After more than 100 GW of solar PV and around 60 GW of wind power projects were finished in 2019, the amount of renewable electricity generated increased by roughly 3%, which is what drove the growth. In Q1 2020, there was also a lot of wind available in Europe and the US. Because they are typically dispatched before conventional electricity sources because of their low operating costs or because of rules that give them precedence, renewables are also robust to decreasing electricity demand.
Global electricity production from renewable sources increased from 26% in Q1 2019 to approximately 28% in Q1 2020. Coal and gas were mostly hurt by the rise in renewable energy, even though they still account for about 60% of the world's electrical supply. Variable renewables, such as solar PV and wind power, increased from 8% of generation in Q1 2019 to 9% in Q1 2020.
Throughout the majority of Q1 2020, variable renewables satisfied a greater portion of the electricity demand on an hourly basis. Shares of variable renewables were similar or greater before the implementation of lockout measures because of favourable weather, projects finished in 2019, and constrained growth in energy consumption. When lockout measures were implemented, there was a decrease in electricity consumption while levels of wind and solar PV remained stable. This caused the demand share of variable renewables to increase noticeably.
During lockdowns, electricity consumption in a number of regions—including Belgium, Italy, Germany, Hungary, and eastern sections of the United States—has reached record-high hourly shares of renewable energy sources. The share of variable renewables has constantly increased compared to the same period in 2019 since severe social distance regulations were implemented in Germany on March 22. Overall, since most markets have previously experienced greater levels during the summer months when solar PV penetration climbs dramatically, electrical systems have been able to handle increasing percentages of variable renewables over the past few months.
Due to lockdown measures, the renewable energy sector experienced supply chain interruptions and a slowdown in installation activities in Q1 2020. China, which produces more than 70% of the world's solar PV modules, has resumed production after it was halted or reduced due to lockdowns in many important provinces. On the other hand, the supply chain for wind energy is significantly more integrated on a worldwide scale. In March, a few production sites across Europe, India, and several US states either shut down completely or curtailed their output. Due to the fact that wind turbines require many parts to be supplied from around the world, these interruptions, particularly in February and March, have had an impact on manufacturing centers like Europe, China, and the United States. However, a few nations are relaxing lockdown regulations to encourage industry revival.
