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Renewable resource
A natural resource qualifies as a renewable resource if its stock
(quantity) can increase over time.
Gasoline, coal, natural gas, diesel and other commodities that come
from fossil fuels are non-renewable. Some commodities, like plastics
and diesel, are mostly made from fossil fuel but ways have been
developed for biodegradable plastic and biodiesel made from
renewable resources
Wind power
Airflows can be used to run wind turbines. Modern wind turbines range
from around 600 kW to 5 MW of rated power, although turbines with
rated output of 1.5–3 MW have become the most common for
commercial use; the power output of a turbine is a function of the cube
of the wind speed, so as wind speed increases, power output increases
dramatically Areas where winds are stronger and more constant, such
as offshore and high altitude sites, are preferred locations for wind
farms. Typical capacity factors are 20-40%, with values at the upper
end of the range in particularly favourable sites.
Hydropower
The Hoover Dam when completed in 1936 was both the world's largest
electric-power generating station and the world's largest concrete
structure.
Energy in water can be harnessed and used. Since water is about 800
times denser than air,even a slow flowing stream of water, or
moderate sea swell, can yield considerable amounts of energy. There
are many forms of water energy:
Solar energy
Biofuel
Geothermal energy
The geothermal energy from the core of the Earth is closer to the
surface in some areas than in others. Where hot underground steam or
water can be tapped and brought to the surface it may be used to
generate electricity. Such geothermal power sources exist in certain
geologically unstable parts of the world such as Chile, Iceland, New
Zealand, United States, the Philippines and Italy. The two most
prominent areas for this in the United States are in the Yellowstone
basin and in northern California. Iceland produced 170 MW geothermal
power and heated 86% of all houses in the year 2000 through
geothermal energy. Some 8000 MW of capacity is operational in total.
There is also the potential to generate geothermal energy from hot dry
rocks. Holes at least 3 km deep are drilled into the earth. Some of
these holes pump water into the earth, while other holes pump hot
water out. The heat resource consists of hot underground radiogenic
granite rocks, which heat up when there is enough sediment between
the rock and the earths surface. Several companies in Australia are
exploring this technology.
Renewable energy
Renewable energy is energy generated from natural resources such
as sunlight, wind, rain, tides, and geothermal heat, which are
renewable (naturally replenished). In 2006, about 18% of global final
energy consumption came from renewables, with 13% coming from
traditional biomass, which is mainly used for heating, and 3% from
hydroelectricity. New renewables (small hydro, modern biomass, wind,
solar, geothermal, and biofuels) accounted for another 2.4% and are
growing very rapidly The share of renewables in electricity generation
is around 18%, with 15% of global electricity coming from
hydroelectricity and 3.4% from new renewables.
Economics
These costs are all brought together, using discounted cash flow, here.
Inherently, renewables are on a decreasing cost curve, while non-
renewables are on an increasing cost curve. In 2009, costs are
comparable among wind, nuclear, coal, and natural gas, but for CSP—
concentrating solar power—and PV (photovoltaics) they are somewhat
higher.
Growth of renewables
From the end of 2004 to the end of 2008, solar photovoltaic (PV)
capacity increased sixfold to more than 16 gigawatts (GW), wind power
capacity increased 250 percent to 121 GW, and total power capacity
from new renewables increased 75 percent to 280 GW. During the
same period, solar heating capacity doubled to 145 gigawatts-thermal
(GWth), while biodiesel production increased sixfold to 12 billion liters
per year and ethanol production doubled to 67 billion liters per year.
See also: List of onshore wind farms and List of offshore wind farms
At the end of 2009, worldwide wind farm capacity was 157,900 MW,
representing an increase of 31 percent during the year, and wind
power supplied some 1.3% of global electricity consumption. Wind
power accounts for approximately 19% of electricity use in Denmark,
9% in Spain and Portugal, and 6% in Germany and the Republic of
Ireland. The United States is an important growth area and installed
U.S. wind power capacity reached 25,170 MW at the end of 2008. As of
September 2009, the Roscoe Wind Farm (781 MW) is the world's
largest wind farm.
Bibliography
1. International Energy Agency (2006). World Energy Outlook 2006: Summary and
Conclusions, OECD, 11 pages.
2. International Energy Agency (2007). Renewables in global energy supply: An
IEA facts sheet, OECD, 34 pages.
3. REN21 (2008). Renewables 2007 Global Status Report, Paris: REN21 Secretariat,
51 pages.
4. United Nations Environment Program (2006). Changing climates: The Role of
Renewable Energy in a Carbon-constrained World, January, 33 pages.
5. United Nations Environment Programme and New Energy Finance Ltd. (2007).
Global Trends in Sustainable Energy Investment 2007: Analysis of Trends and
Issues in the Financing of Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency in OECD
and Developing Countries, 52 pages.
6. Worldwatch Institute and Center for American Progress (2006). American
energy: The renewable path to energy security, 40 pages.
References
1. http://www.ren21.net/pdf/RE2007_Global_Status_Report.pdf
Global Status Report 2007
2. Lars Kroldrup. Gains in Global Wind Capacity Reported Green
Inc., February 15, 2010.
3. REN21 (2009). Renewables Global Status Report: 2009 Update
4. Global wind energy markets continue to boom – 2006 another
record year
5. REN21 (2009). Renewables Global Status Report: 2009 Update
6. World's largest photovoltaic power plants
7. Solar Trough Power Plants
8. (http). http://www.geysers.com. Retrieved 2007-05-16.
9. America and Brazil Intersect on Ethanol
10. World Energy Assessment (2001). Renewable energy
technologies,
11. What Solar Power Needs Now Renewable Energy Access, 13
August 2007.
12. United Nations Environment Programme Global Trends in
Sustainable Energy Investment 2007: Analysis of Trends and
Issues in the Financing of Renewable Energy and Energy
Efficiency in OECD and Developing Countries
13. Clean Edge (2009). Clean Energy Trends 2009 .
14. Renewables Global Status Report 2009 Update
15. Renewable energy... into the mainstream
16. EWEA Executive summary "Analysis of Wind Energy in the EU-
25" (PDF). European Wind Energy Association.
http://www.ewea.org/fileadmin/ewea_documents/documents/publ
ications/WETF/Facts_Summary.pdf EWEA Executive summary.
Retrieved 2007-03-