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In recent times, renewable energy is gradually replacing all sources of energy from natural resources. This brings many superior benefits in reducing carbon emissions and pollution. The following article by Mytour Blog provides some basic information about what renewable energy is, its pros and cons, and its applications in daily life.
What is Renewable Energy?
Renewable energy is energy generated from continuously replenishing natural sources such as wind, rain, solar energy, sea waves, tides, and geothermal heat. It is also known as completely clean energy or renewable energy.
Despite still being relatively new, renewable energy has already brought about positive transformations for the future. Completely clean energy is rapidly expanding both on a large and small scale, gradually replacing traditional fuel sources in four critical sectors: motor fuels, cooling, electricity generation, and standalone rural electrification.
Renewable energy is energy generated from natural sources (Source: Internet)What is Non-Renewable Energy?
Non-renewable energy, also known as 'dirty' energy, is generated from fossil fuels such as oil, natural gas, and coal. Non-renewable energy sources are only available in limited quantities and will gradually deplete over time.
Non-renewable energy sources are often unevenly distributed globally, with some regions abundant while others are deficient. However, sunlight and wind can be accessed in every country worldwide. Prioritizing the use of renewable energy can also help some nations reduce reliance on fossil fuel-exporting countries.
Many non-renewable energy sources can pose dangers to the environment and human health. For example, oil extraction can lead to deforestation, hydraulic fracturing for coal mining can cause earthquakes and water pollution, and coal-fired power plants can pollute the air. All these activities significantly contribute to global warming.
Non-renewable energy can cause environmental pollution (Source: Internet)What are the Pros and Cons of Renewable Energy?
Advantages:
- Clean Energy Source: Renewable energy is environmentally friendly, generating minimal pollution and reducing greenhouse gas emissions and air pollution.
- Non-Depletable: Renewable energy sources such as wind, solar, and hydro are constantly replenished by nature, so there's no risk of depletion or exhaustion as with non-renewable energy sources.
- Wide Range of Applications: Renewable energy has numerous practical applications, including saving electricity for households, factories, industries, and other industrial facilities.
Disadvantages:
- High Initial Investment Costs: Constructing modern and advanced renewable energy systems requires substantial capital investment, resulting in high initial costs.
- Low Stability: Renewable energy exhibits lower stability compared to non-renewable energy sources. It often relies on natural factors and can be susceptible to external influences, impacting the operational efficiency of renewable energy systems.
Types of Renewable Energy Worldwide
Wind Energy
Currently, wind turbines are often large-scale, ranging in capacity from approximately 600 kW to 9 MW. These devices harness wind power to generate relatively large amounts of electricity. As wind speed increases, the electricity output also rises, reaching the maximum capacity of the turbine.
Regions with strong and consistent winds are typically considered ideal for establishing wind farms. The operational time of wind turbines (i.e., the number of hours operating at full load) usually ranges from 16% to 57% annually and is higher in offshore locations.
Generating electricity from wind power (Source: Internet)Solar Energy
Currently, there are various methods to harness solar energy using modern technologies, including: heating, concentrated solar power (CSP), solar architecture, photovoltaics, concentrated photovoltaics (CPV), and artificial photosynthesis.
Humans also utilize this renewable energy source in many different ways. For instance, solar energy can be converted into electricity to power electrical devices, as well as used to heat water for daily household needs.
Solar energy can be converted into electricity to power electrical devices (Source: Internet)Hydropower
Hydropower is a completely clean energy source and is widely utilized in most countries. Hydropower systems operate by harnessing the power of water in fast-flowing streams to drive turbines that generate electricity.
Currently, most countries around the world have built hydroelectric plants and dams. However, not all of these projects are considered renewable energy sources. The reason is that hydropower and hydroelectric dams have the potential to alter natural water flow and change the direction of water currents. This impacts both humans and wildlife in the area. However, smaller hydroelectric plants are often managed more carefully to minimize environmental impact.
Hydropower is a completely clean energy source (Source: Internet)Biomass Energy
Biomass energy, also known as bioenergy or biomass power, originates from animal and plant-based resources. This renewable energy source can be used directly or indirectly through combustion processes to generate heat.
However, recent studies have shown that burning biomass from plant-based sources produces high levels of CO2 emissions, causing negative environmental impacts. Therefore, biomass is gradually not being considered a completely clean energy source.
Biological energy from seaweed in Australia (Source: Internet)Geothermal Energy
The Earth's geothermal energy is generated from the planet's initial formation process and the decay of radioactive minerals.
In some areas with sufficiently high geothermal gradients, geothermal energy can be exploited for electricity generation. However, the technology for harnessing geothermal energy is still limited and only applied in certain locations. Additionally, technical issues also pose limitations on the efficiency of utilizing this form of energy.
Geothermal energy extraction technology remains limited (Source: Internet)Energy from Solid Waste
Currently, converting solid waste into energy is an effective method for recycling organic waste. This operation not only helps in waste management and converting it into electricity but also reduces greenhouse gas emissions.
Many countries have successfully addressed the waste issue, especially in converting waste into raw materials for industrial activities. Countries like Northern Europe, Singapore, Japan, the United States, and Germany have succeeded in applying effective waste treatment methods.
However, in developing countries, the quantity and density of urban waste are still increasing more rapidly than in developed countries. Despite ongoing waste management efforts, there are still many limitations due to insufficient investment and technology.
Converting solid waste into energy is an effective method for recycling organic waste (Source: Internet)Tidal Energy
Tidal energy is a completely clean form of energy used to generate electricity through energy conversion processes. However, this energy source requires significant investment. Additionally, it can only be harnessed in locations with high flow velocities or strong tides.
Renewable energy from tidal power still faces some drawbacks, and scientists are striving to find solutions to overcome them in the current energy crisis context. Therefore, the widespread adoption of tidal energy is still limited.
Tidal energy requires high investment (Source: Internet)Hydrogen Fuel and Hydrogen Fuel Cells
Moreover, hydrogen is also utilized in hydrogen fuel cells to provide energy for electric motors similar to battery-powered cells. Various hydrogen fuel cell vehicles have been widely adopted.
Utilizing hydrogen fuel helps significantly reduce pollution in cities. This could be an effective solution to mitigate environmental pollution in the future.
Hydrogen fuel cell vehicles are currently widely adopted (Source: Internet)Benefits of Renewable Energy
Compared to energy generated from fossil fuels, renewable energy offers far more benefits. So, what are the benefits of renewable energy?
- Renewable energy is a completely clean and environmentally friendly source, minimizing environmental pollution to the maximum extent.
- It is a renewable energy source, ensuring sustainability for the future.
- Renewable energy is highly diverse and abundant, including wind, solar, tidal, and many other sources.
- It is a free source of energy, eliminating the need for resource extraction costs.
- Renewable energy has high durability, requiring lower maintenance and upkeep costs compared to other energy sources.
- Utilizing renewable energy helps save electricity for households, businesses, factories, and other organizations.
Trends in Renewable Energy Usage
In recent years, commitments to using clean and sustainable electricity have significantly increased in the commercial, industrial, and institutional (C&I) sectors. As a result, the electricity market has been ready to adapt to meet the growing demand from this group of energy consumers. Currently, there are a total of 4 common methods that all renewable energy buyers – including utility companies, homeowners, and customers in the commercial and industrial (C&I) sectors – can use to access renewable electricity.
Power Purchase Agreements (PPAs) Outside the Corporation
Large-scale renewable energy projects that are not within the premises of the buyer are termed as peripheral. Buyers can procure renewable electricity from these projects through Power Purchase Agreements (PPAs), wherein there is a fixed price for the electricity from the project owner over a certain period.
Peripheral PPAs are long-term contracts for renewable energy executed directly between a contractor (company) and a project developer. Peripheral PPAs allow the contracting company to ensure a fixed price for electricity throughout the contract duration. This can bring economic benefits to the company, helping to save energy costs. However, PPAs can also pose financial risks to the company.
By committing long-term to a project from a contractor, developers can secure crucial financing to deploy the project. Conversely, this commitment enables the contractor to make significant statements, ensuring that the project cannot operate and cannot replace current fossil energy sources.
PPAs have garnered significant interest from buyers in the commercial and industrial (C&I) sectors, enabling them to procure renewable energy on a large scale and achieve environmental goals, even reaching 100% renewable energy in markets where Power Purchase Agreements are implemented.
However, for many C&I buyers, peripheral PPAs may not be the suitable choice. This could be due to the buyer's trust level or the scale of energy needs. Despite the increase in smaller PPAs through operating companies, peripheral PPAs still remain quite limited. In 2020, Schneider Electric advised on the first European Union PPA, enabling 4 companies to collaborate to support the development of clean wind energy.
On-site Power Purchase Agreements (PPAs) / Distributed Generation
On-site PPAs, typically used for solar photovoltaic installations, are contracts between a company and a project developer. The developer owns and operates the renewable system for 15-25 years. The company pays a fixed price for the generated capacity throughout the contract term. While on-site solar PPAs are common, companies can also engage in PPAs for fuel cells and backup batteries. However, not all C&I buyers are suitable for on-site projects due to location, cost, or risk. Additionally, the small scale of these projects may not meet their entire electricity needs.
Energy Quality Certification
Throughout the production and distribution of renewable energy, tracing its origin becomes intricate. As renewable energy is sold on the grid market on-site, pinpointing their specific origins becomes challenging. To address this issue, since 1999, California state projects have commenced issuing Renewable Energy Certificates (RECs) to authenticate renewable energy sources. RECs, also known as 'birth certificates,' have become an international standard for monitoring and trading renewable electricity.
RECs are utilized both in compliance markets and by voluntary purchasers to achieve their objectives. They can be bundled with retail electricity through green utility purchase programs or sold independently as a distinct commodity.
Over time, with the global market's evolution, various types of certificates have emerged. The term 'Energy Attribute Certificate' (EAC) is used to refer to newly established and developed green energy certificates, independent of the originating country.
For most C&I buyers, engaging in the EAC market is not overly complex. EACs are readily obtainable, representing carbon emission-free electricity production and provided by reputable and third-party accredited suppliers. Renewable energy purchasers typically utilize a number of EACs to meet their objectives at a certain point in time.
Green Utility Programs
C&I demand for larger-scale and cleaner energy is on the rise. Utility providers have offered green energy options in the form of green pricing and subscription programs to meet this demand.
Utility companies are shifting from conventional energy supply to green power solutions to address consumer concerns about the environment. Despite geographic limitations, this effort has attracted an increasing number of customers, especially businesses requiring renewable options.
To achieve ultimate goals, organizations may face challenges by relying solely on one solution or technology. Therefore, it is recommended to utilize an investment portfolio that accesses a variety of different clean technology solutions.
We hope Mytour's article helps you grasp what renewable energy is and the current types of renewable energy. Additionally, you'll gain a clearer understanding of the benefits of clean energy and future energy trends.
