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Why do we need new energy sources?

The fact is that fossil fuels, that is fuels formed by squashed decomposing organisms in the earth’s crust like oil, coal and gas are running out; and quickly. All of the fossil fuel reserves took about 650 million years to form and we’re going to have used the whole lot up in 300 years! Fossil fuels have without doubt been the most important part of the industrial and technological revolutions. The reason they were so special was the energy density they provide, that is the amount of energy per unit mass was so high.
If you’re under 40, there’s a fairly good chance that all the world’s oil will be gone in your lifetime. We need free renewable energy and need it now. Now is the time to put our efforts into weaning ourselves off our fossil fuel addiction to prepare for a different future in energy terms. As supplies become scarce and tensions rise in the countries with the last remaining fuel stocks, prices are going to go through the roof, and the continuous supply we enjoy today will be far from a certainty.
Another reason is to conserve our environment. It’s well known that the burning of fossil fuels releases carbon dioxide into the atmosphere which directly contributes to global climate change. We are doubtless going to use up the entire reserves of fossil fuels on earth, but the slower we do this, the better chance we give the atmosphere to adjust a little, thus minimising the potential catastrophic effects.

What are some renewable energy options?

The most flexible, promising and heavily researched alternative energy solution is solar energy and that’s the focus of this course. Solar energy works by harvesting the energy from the sun’s rays through the uses of very clever panels which can turn this light energy into electricity through an internal reaction in the cell.
Other options include wind power, where a wind turbine is spun by the wind. This turbine converts the energy of the wind into electrical energy through the use of a generator. It mode of operation is very similar to an old windmill.
Hydropower uses the energy of flowing water to create electricity, typically through the use of hydroelectric damns. These are currently a popular way for energy companies to store energy. Another energy generation method which relies on the power of water is tidal energy. At the moment, this method has not been widely explored due to the high cost and limited availability of suitable sites.

How does the energy we can generate from renewable sources compare with conventional sources?

A lot of people ask this question, and answering it is akin to answering the ‘how long is a piece of string?’ question. What you’re really asking is how big a wind farm do we need, or how many solar panels do we need to generate the equivalent amount of energy that burning a ton of coal in a power plant delivers to a home. An easier way to state this is the cost per megawatt-hour (MWh). Remember that renewable sources have no cost (except maintenance) once they’re installed so the longer they work for the lower their cost per kW. For example, some reports put the cost per MWh of onshore wind power to be between $50 and $100. At the lower end, that’s cheaper than coal and natural gas. Large solar installations on the other hand, still run at about $300 per MWh, mainly down to space considerations for large plants but is decreasing rapidly. On the small scale, solar is currently much more viable.

How many solar panels do I need to power my house?

OK, so you’re interested in the free energy that personal solar energy projects will provide you with and you want to know if your roof is big enough? A good estimate for the amount of electricity used per person in the US is about 5,000 kWh in a year. A kWh is the unit the power company use to charge you. If you leave a 1000W (1kW) heater running for one hour, then you’ve used 1 kWh. Let’s say then that an average 2 person home uses 10,000 kWh per year. That looks about right when you consider the price of a kWh from the power company and your annual bill. That’s 27 kWh per day. A typical solar cell will generate about 100 watts, and most places in the US receive about 6 hours of peak sunlight per day, averaged over the year.
That means we need to generate our 27 kWh in 6 hours, meaning our system has to have an output of 4500 watts per hour. That means we need 45 solar panels at a little less than 1m2 each. An array of 8 x 6 would get the job done nicely and if you make your own panels, it can be done surprisingly cheaply.

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