The Renewable Energy Industry
Most of the energy we use today is being obtained from coal and petroleum. There are some sources of energy, which can be used repeatedly without exhausting them, such as, energy from the sun, energy from a water-fall, wind energy, tidal energy. This industry comprises of alternative energy and sustainable energy companies, including those involved in hydroelectric power, wind power, and solar power generation, and the manufacture, distribution, and sale of alternative fuels.
Renewable V/s Non-Renewable Resources of Energy
Most of the energy we use today is being obtained from coal and petroleum. We also have nuclear power plants. But these energy sources are limited as only finite quantities of coal; petroleum and gas exist underground or in oceans. The present reserves of coal and petroleum, if consumed at the current rate, maybe exhausted after a certain period. Nature would take thousands of years to produce them. Thus, as far as human lifetimes are concerned, once exhausted, they will not be available for use. This is why these are called non- renewable sources of energy.
On the other hand, there are some sources of energy, which can be used repeatedly without exhausting them, such as, energy from the sun, energy from a water-fall, wind energy, tidal energy. Biomass energy and energy from plants can be obtained by growing plants. Hence, we call such resources of energy as renewable resources, i.e., those that are continuously restored by nature. The challenge today is how to tap these energy resources efficiently and economically.
Renewable energy and farming are a winning combination. Solar, wind, and biomass energy can be harvested forever, providing farmers with a long-term source of energy and income. Renewable energy can be used on the farm to replace other fuels. It can also be sold as a “cash crop”.
We now discuss each of these sources.
Solar Energy
The energy from the sun is responsible for sustaining life on the earth. It is a renewable source of energy, non-polluting, available almost everywhere on earth, and is affordable. The sun, which is the main source of all forms of energy on the earth, can now be directly tapped to meet the energy requirements for different sectors including agriculture. Solar energy is especially beneficial for those countries located between the tropic of Cancer and Capricorn because of the availability of high-intensity solar radiation for more days in these geographical areas i.e. more than 300 days a year.
In simplistic terms, the light energy from the sun is converted to electrical energy through a specially manufactured device called Solar PV modules. The term “Solar Energy” refers to radiation energy i.e. light and heat emitted from the sun. Some amount of this energy is lost before it reaches the earth's surface, as it travels over 93 million miles km from the sun through various layers of the atmosphere.
Advantages of Solar Energy
- Clean energy source
- No fuel cost incurred as it uses sunlight as input,
- The power to drive the motor & pump can be generated as long as solar radiation is available.
Wind Energy
Wind is a renewable resource and, it is always available. Unlike the non-renewable resources, it does not get depleted. Wind Energy is one of the very good renewable energy sources. Further, a big advantage is that it does not pollute the environment. Therefore, it is environment friendly. In order to move into clean sources of power, wind power can be a major contributor. This will help to move into indigenous sources of power and also augment the power needs of lots of people, who are yet to have access to electricity.
Advantages of Wind Energy
1. Wind energy is said to be one of the cleanest energy sources as it does not cause pollution to our environment
2. It uses the renewable resource, wind and this resource is available in plenty
3. Another advantage of Wind power is that this industry, that is, the wind power industry will provide skilled jobs to many
BioEnergy
Energy from biomass is broadly termed as bio-energy. Bio-energy is renewable and produced from biological sources. The food we eat has bio-energy; the milk we drink is bio-energy. Besides the main food crops, there are energy plantation crops, which are used for extracting energy in the form of solid and liquid fuels. Ethanol, a partial substitute for petrol is being extracted from crops like sweet sorghum and cassava. Today we are talking of bio-diesel that can be produced from crops like jatropha.
Large-scale production of bioenergy would initially require the use of agricultural and forest residues, and eventually dedicated energy crop plantations. The cost-effectiveness in any particular investment situation is likely to depend on site-specific opportunities. The long-term effects of bio-energy exploitation, through dedicated plantations, on soil quality, fertility, and biodiversity may be adverse.
Therefore, a balance needs to be struck between the advantages and disadvantages of bio-energy, and this is reflected in both optimistic and pessimistic views regarding the uncertainties about how bio-energy systems can provide cost-effective local and global benefits. These uncertainties have restricted the development and commercialization of modern biomass technologies.
Biodiesel Fuel
The United States depends heavily on imported oil to fuel its transportation infrastructure. The use of alternative fuel derived from plant oils was examined by researchers in the mid-1970s to determine if internal combustion engines could be fueled from sources other than petroleum. The initial research on pure vegetable oils as a replacement for petroleum diesel fuel was met with mostly negative results. Researchers determined that transesterification of these plant- and animal-derived oils reduced the viscosity of the oil without any other significant changes to the oil. Since the new fuel was bio-derived and was used to fuel a diesel engine, the name ‘‘biodiesel’’ was selected to refer to the new fuel. Most economists are of the opinion that biodiesel has the capability to replace about 2 to 5% of the diesel fuel used for transportation in the United States. Although this may seem small in comparison to the volume of diesel fuel used, this would indicate that we would need to produce roughly 6 billion gallons of biodiesel each year. However, Brazil has become a major exporter in the soybean market.
Bio-Mass Fuel
Biomass has been used to meet the needs of civilization since prehistory. Several biomass chemical products can be traced to a time when neither the chemical mechanistic transformation process nor the chemical identity of the product was understood. These early products include chemicals still widely used, such as ethanol and acetic acid. A more scientific understanding of chemistry in the 19th century led to the use of biomass as a feedstock for chemical processes. However, in the 20th century, the more easily processed and readily available petroleum eventually changed the emphasis of chemical process development from carbohydrate feedstock to hydrocarbon feedstock. Through major investments by industry and government, utilization of petroleum as a chemical production feedstock has been developed to a high level and provides a wide array of materials and products. Now, the expansion of synthetic chemical products from petroleum and an improved understanding of chemistry in the mid- 800s was ethanol identified and its use expanded for solvent applications and as a fuel.
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