Aaron+Eddleston+Energy+Wiki+2010

=__**Green Power Over Fuel**__=

Fossil fuels are non-renewable resources and will be gone within the next 100 years. As obtaining these fuels becomes harder, the prices of everything goes up. A problem with burning fossil fuels is they are pollutants and some of the fuel isn’t burned during combustion in the boilers. There is more Carbon Dioxide produced now because that is the aim of operators. indicates complete combustion, which is the burning of all fuel. That is the purpose of burning fuel. Because fuel is becoming more expensive and the realization that it is running out, as well as we endangering the atmosphere, research into [|green energy] has picked up. Whereas fossil fuels are non-renewable, green energy can never run out. There are quite a few different types of green energy. There is solar, wind, hydro, geothermal, biomass. Each of these creates steam that will spin a turbine to produce power. [|Solar power] uses the power of the sun. the photovoltaic cells on the solar panel absorbs the energy from the sun’s rays and can either create electricity directly or heat water to make steam. The sun is limitless energy that can easily power the world if we are able to harness its awesome power. The problem with solar power is that it is expensive to produce usable energy from it. Above there are two types of solar power systems used: photovoltaic and solar thermal. The photovoltaic converts the sun’s energy into a electricity and the solar thermal heats water which can then be used for heating. The advantage of solar panels are that they require little maintenance and can be used almost anywhere. Hydro power utilizes the energy of a flowing body of water. Hydro power can be from waves, dams, or rivers. To move a turbine, the water is led into a penstock. The turbine will spin to produce electricity. The history of hydro power goes back to the industrial revolution when factories used the power of the rivers to spin their water wheels. Currently, hydro power generates majority of all green energy. Research is going into how the ocean’s waves can be used for energy. The advantage of hydro power is that the dams used can store water for backup to use in a draught, controls flooding, and is inexpensive. Dams aren’t all good though as ecosystems can be ruined due to intentional flooding of areas, and can break in a massive flash flood. Deep in the ground is a source of heat that comes from dear planet Earth. The core of the Earth heats the rock around it and that molten rock will rise up from the core and heat the water underground. There are supplies of hot water and steam underground. All we need to do is get to these sources of heat. Water is pumped from the reservoir where it will turn to steam and spin the generator. The water can also be used for heating before going back to the reservoir to be heated again. What about the energy of wind? Wind is a powerful source; we have seen the capabilities of wind with hurricanes and other storms. There is a lot of potential for wind turbines. As usual, the wind will spin the turbine, spinning the shaft, which spins in the generator to create electricity. The positives of wind turbines are zero emissions, wind is free, and low impact on the environment. There are cons however. High initial costs (though it could be paid back quickly), and the fact that the wind doesn’t blow all the time. If there is no wind, there is no turbine spinning.

Green energy is the future of our world. Oil will run out and will never be a resource again on our planet in our lifetimes. It has taken millions of years for fossil fuels to form and will take millions of year to re-form. Most green energy sources are expensive at first, but they pay for themselves given time.

People need to get off their backsides and see that fuel isn’t going to last very long. So the more they conserve, the more time scientists and engineers have to build new technology to harness energy. People also need to get over petty issues. There are arguments over the building of wind turbines in some areas because they will ruin the view of the landscape. Seriously? I am all for clean energy. While I may be a boiler engineer, I also recognize the need to go green. Burning fuels is not efficient at all and time is running out on how long it will last.

But why listen to a college student who only knows the basics of renewable energy? How about listening to professional that work with green technology on a daily basis. media type="youtube" key="pmlB3Dk8_gM" height="385" width="480"