ESS Renewable Energy Sources

ESS –

Solar Energy: uses photovoltaic (PV) panels that transfer energy from sunlight to produce an electrical current, generating electrical power

Advantages:

• Abundant energy source

• No greenhouse gas emissions or air pollutants produced during operation

• Suitable for various scales of application (from house rooftops to very large solar farms)

• Can be integrated into existing buildings and infrastructure

• Solar is progressively becoming less expensive and more efficient

• Solar energy can be generated in remote places where they don't have electricity (e.g. to power solar street signs in rural areas)

Disadvantages:

-       Intermittent (non-constant) energy source dependent on sunlight availability

-       Initial high capital investment for solar panels and equipment

-       Requires significant land area for solar farm installations (which could otherwise be used for agriculture)

-       Energy storage solutions needed for night-time or cloudy days

Potential environmental impact during manufacturing and disposal of panels (electronic waste)

-       Some people dislike the appearance of large solar farms (visual pollution)

Hydropower

• Hydropower uses flowing water to generate electricity through turbines in dams

• Advantages:

  • Reliable and predictable source of energy

  • Low greenhouse gas emissions during operation

  • Multi-purpose benefits, including flood control and irrigation

  • Long lifespan of hydroelectric plants with low operating costs

  • Can respond to demand quickly, generating large scale amounts of electricity in a short period of time

• Disadvantages:

  • Disruption of river ecosystems and fish migration routes

  • High initial capital costs for dam construction and infrastructure

  • Dam construction and reservoir formation floods habitats and can require relocation of human communities

  • Climate change impacts on water availability is affecting reservoir levels, making them less reliable

  • Salmon cannot move – Claifornia dam

Tidal energy: uses the energy of rising and falling tides to turn a turbine and generate electricity

• Advantages:

  • Abundant energy source

  • No greenhouse gas emissions or air pollutants produced during operation

  • Predictable and reliable source of energy due to regular tidal patterns

  • Can produce a large amount of electricity at short notice

  • Minimal visual impact when installed underwater

  • Long lifespan of tidal turbines with minimal maintenance

• Disadvantages:

  • High initial costs

  • Limited availability of suitable sites

  • Potential environmental impact on marine ecosystems and fish migration

  • Maintenance challenges and costs due to underwater installations

  • Possible interference with shipping lanes and navigation

Geothermal: Indonesia and philipines

• Geothermal energy harnesses heat from within the Earth's crust for electricity generation or heating purposes.

  • The Earth's interior is extremely hot

  • Water can be poured into shafts below the Earth's surface

  • The water is heated and returned via another shaft as steam or hot water

  • Steam can be used to turn a turbine and generate electricity

  • The hot water can also be used to heat homes

• Advantages:

  • Sustainable energy source

  • Reliable and stable source of energy available at all times

  • Small land footprint compared to other renewable sources (e.g. wind and solar)

  • Geothermal power stations are usually small compared to nuclear or fossil fuel power stations

  • Long lifespan of geothermal plants with low operating costs

• Disadvantages:

  • Site-specific; limited to regions with near-surface geothermal activity

  • High initial drilling and exploration costs

  • Can result in the release of greenhouse gases from underground

  • Geological risks such as earthquakes or ground subsidence

NON-RENEWABLE:

• Non-renewable energy comes from energy sources that will eventually run out, including:

  • Fossil fuels

  • Nuclear energy (using uranium as a fuel)

Fossil fuels

• Fossil fuels include:

  • Coal

  • Crude oil, which is refined into petrol, diesel and other fuels

  • Natural gas (mostly methane), which is used in domestic boilers and cookers

• Fossil fuels are formed from the remains of plants and animals

  • Chemical energy stored in fossil fuels originally came from sunlight

  • Energy from the sun was transferred to chemical energy stores within plants through photosynthesis (plants use energy from sunlight to make food)

  • Animals ate the plants and the energy was then transferred to their chemical store

• Advantages

  • The current systems of transport and electricity generation used by human societies rely heavily on fossil fuels

    • These fossil fuels are generally readily available on a daily basis

  • In the past, fossil fuels have been reliable for large-scale energy production (although this is changing as supplies start to become depleted and prices rise)

  • Efficient—fossil fuels typically have a high energy density (they produce a large amount of energy per kilogram)

• Disadvantages

  • It takes millions of years for fossil fuels to form:

    • This is why they are considered a non-renewable energy resource

  • The increasing demand for decreasing supply causes prices to increase

    • Fossil fuels are predicted to completely run out within the next 200 years

  • Burning fossil fuels pollutes the atmosphere with harmful gases such as:

    • Carbon dioxide, which contributes to the greenhouse effect

    • Sulphur dioxide, which produces acid rain

    • Both carbon and sulphur can be captured upon burning, preventing them from being released into the atmosphere, but this is expensive to do

  • Oil spills can occur during transport of fossil fuels, which damage the marine environment and wildlife over very large areas

  • Prices fluctuate rapidly

  • Conflict and political disagreements (such as the war in Ukraine) can have an impact on supplies