Академический Документы
Профессиональный Документы
Культура Документы
Wouldn’t it be great if we can produce our own green energy Just how much biofuel we make after all the work varies but
source? If we can do that, we don’t have to pay electrical bills you will have an idea of how much you have produced since
or gasoline anymore for our cars. While we can buy some of this is the one you see floating at the top. If there is still some
the equipment, the rest will have to be done on our own. glycerin present, filter it again. From there, you already have
your own backyard biofuel which you can use and even sell to
Take solar or wind energy for example. We already know how those who are just as concerned with the environment as you
to harness and make it. If you want to make one, do some are.
research online and then set up the system yourself.
By making our own green energy sources, we make ourselves
To have solar energy, you will need to buy an inverter, battery, less dependent on gasoline in its various forms to power our
charge controller, solar panels, some wires and support heater, home or car. Why don’t a lot of people do it? Well
structure. The only difference with wind energy is that you simply because they don’t have the time to make it and would
need a fan. Once you have everything you need, you can put rather rely on someone else to do it for them.
it all together.
If you are not skillful, you will be happy to know that some Advantages And
companies sell the entire system. By buying it from them and
having it installed by their experts, you are sure that there Disadvantages Of Using Green
won’t be any problems the moment you switch it on.
Energy Sources
Source: http://rev-u.com/green-energy-source/
There is one more thing you need before you can use one or the
advantages_and_disadvantages_of_using_green_energy_sources.html
two green energy sources. Before you buy the materials or the
system, make sure you have a flat area that is about a hundred What are the Advantages and Disadvantages of Using Green
square feet or so because it occupies a lot of space. Energy Sources?
For those who don’t have the space or the budget to use Today, we are now aware of the effects of global warming.
these two energy sources, another option is to create your own Fortunately, it’s not too late and we can still change which is
biofuels. why many are pushing for green energy sources.
Biofuels are used in many countries and they get it from The advantage of using green energy sources is that it is clean
harvesting corn, sugar and other crops. Luckily, you don’t need so it does not emit anything harmful into the air which has an
a farm to produce it because you can also make your own using impact on the environment. It is also renewable which means
some recycled waste. we will never run out of it unlike oil which is expected to dry
up in a decade or so.
A good example of this is vegetable oil which we use for
cooking. To turn this into a biofuel, we first filter it by warming Although green energy facilities are expensive to build, it
up the liquid and then filtering this with a coffee filter. The requires less maintenance so you don’t have to shell out a lot
next step is to remove the water also by boiling it again at 100 of money to operate it.
degrees for a short period of time.
It can also bring economic benefits to certain areas even boost
We need to know the amount of lye present in the vegetable tourism.
oil and we do this by a process known as titration. When we
are done with that, we now mix sodium hydroxide to produce While these sound good, there are some who say that there are
sodium methoxide. advantages to using such technology.
1
July 24th, 2010 Published by: tiyarli
Liquid biofuel which is the one used in cars is a natural
While green energy sources can produce electricity, how much and renewable domestic fuel that can only be used for diesel
it can generate is not consistent. This is because we have no engines. This can be made from vegetable oils mostly soy and
control of the weather so if a certain area relies on solar energy corn. The nice thing about it is that it contains no petroleum,
and there is a weather disturbance, it will not be able to convert is nontoxic and biodegradable.
sunlight into electricity.
By fueling up with biofuel, you decrease the pollutants in the
Building these facilities also requires a lot of land so we may air because it does not emit anything. Right now, it is the
have to cut on farmland which is what many are concerned only fuel approved by the Environmental Protection Agency
about if more wind turbines are to be put up. (EPA), passed every Heath-Effects Test of the Clean Air Act
and meets the requirements of the California Air Resources
Another disadvantage is the fact that some of the green energy Board (CARB).
sources cannot be installed in certain areas of the planet. For
instance, wave energy can only be utilized if the waves coming One example of this is biodiesel which is made from alcohol
from the ocean reach at least 16 feet. The use geothermal like methanol and a chemical process that separates glycerine
energy can only be done in geologically unstable parts of the and methyl esters (biodiesel) from fats or vegetable oils. Aside
planet. from methanol, some countries have also experimented with
corn and sugarcane to create their own version of biofuel.
But if you look at such arguments, places that cannot use one
form of green energy source can be substituted for another. If Glycerine is a common products and this is used in making
wind turbines need more space, they can be installed near the toothpaste and soap. Since it is quite new, the process of
coast instead of putting these on land. A study shows that you converting it is quite expensive and right now, this is still much
can generate more electricity while these are in the ocean. more expensive per gallon compared to petroleum.
While the weather is something we cannot control, it is not But if you look at what you pay for it, the returns are
everyday that there is a weather disturbance so this too shall huge because you get to do your share to preserve a cleaner
pass. If solar energy is being used and the sun is covered, the environment, an improvement in air quality and a reduction
emergency generators will be activated and use up the energy of cancer-causing agents.
that was stored.
A cheaper and primitive way to make bio-diesel is by collecting
The point is that there are ways around the arguments put by cooking oil and then processing it. This may not good your
certain individuals which discourage the use of green energy car’s engine so be careful if you decide to use it.
sources. In fact, research is ongoing to try and harness other
means to generate the power we need. If you are skeptic about biodiesels, studies have shown that
its performance on the road is just as good as petroleum in
A very good example of this is called ocean thermal energy. terms of power to efficiency, hauling and climbing. You can
Power is generated by harnessing the different temperatures use this in its pure form or blend with petroleum fuel. The
in the water. It is currently being used on a small scale both in most common mix in the market is 20/80 and is referred to
Japan and Hawaii. as “B20.” This means that 20% is biodiesel and the remainder
is 80%. Another version is the E85 which is fuel composed of
In the US, only 7% of green energy sources are used nationally. 85% ethanol and 15% gasoline.
This was much higher 11 years ago and if we don’t have to
worry about the cost of oil or even reduce our dependency on The best part about using biodiesel is that you only have to
it, we have to invest more in this clean energy. make a few changes in your engine to be able to use it. Aside
from making the car run, it also helps clean the engine. If you
We can get it from green energy sources such as biomass, are concerned that this will void the warranty of your vehicle
biodiesel, geothermal, solar, water and the wind. These are should there be a problem, don’t worry because it doesn’t. In
things we have all around us and all it takes is for someone the US, B20 is the most common one available but there are
to harness it instead of relying on traditional non-renewable only a few gas stations that carry it.
means to produce energy.
When car’s first rolled out in the beginning of the 20th century,
Henry Ford planned to make these vehicles especially the
Biofuels Are A Green Energy Model T’s run using ethanol. Tests have even shown that these
Source may also run using peanut oil.
Source: http://rev-u.com/green-energy-source/
This never materialized because huge oil deposits were
biofuels_are_a_green_energy_source.html
discovered and diesel was cheap. It was only when our demand
Biofuels are also a green energy source. It has been around for for oil increased in the 1970’s, 1980’s, 1990’s and in the early
a very long time and lately, people are beginning to take notice. part of this year that people began to realize that to reduce our
demand for foreign oil that we should try using biodiesels and
other forms of alternative energy.
2
July 24th, 2010 Published by: tiyarli
But why use water? It is because hydrogen combustion is clean
Is it too late? Not yet because there is still time to use biofuels so it does not emit harmful gases into the atmosphere unlike
and others as green energy sources. cars that run on petrol or diesel that emit carbon monoxide.
Studies have shown that it also weighs less than hydrocarbon-
based fuels and burns faster than conventional gasoline.
Can You Use A Green Energy
Source Like Water To Power A So when can you expect to buy a car that uses water as a green
energy source? Hopefully in the next 10 to 20 years. It is really
Car up to the automakers because all we can do is wait until a better
Source: http://rev-u.com/green-energy-source/ and clear car hits the dealership.
can_you_use_a_green_energy_source_like_water_to_power_a_car.html
Right now, the best option we have are electric cars. Since its
Can You Use A Green Energy Source Like Water To Power A
introduction in 1999, more people are using it because they
Car?
don’t want to spend anymore for gasoline that could hit an all
For more than a century, we rely on oil to fuel our cars. But did
time high of more than $110 per barrel.
you know that the world’s oil is close to drying up because it is a
nonrenewable resource? Well that may not happen tomorrow
If water as a green energy source can be used to power a car,
or next year but we are getting closer because of the demand
why don’t we do the same for solar power which has been
in the world market. Why wait for that day when we can rely
around much longer?
on a green energy source like water to power our cars.
But there are ways to fix that and the bigger picture is that The various green energy sources such as solar, wind, wave,
power produced from hydroelectric plants do not generate any hydropower and geothermal do not produce anything harmful
emissions or waste which happens to be much better than which may have a negative effect on the environment. This
operating a coal-fired power plant. is the exact opposite of what you get when you continue to
operate a coal or nuclear power plant.
There is another way to generate hydropower and you get this
form the sea. This is also known as wave power or wave energy Coal you have to remember releases carbon dioxide into the
which uses changes in the air levels of sealed chambers to air. On its own, it may not cause that much damage but there
power turbines. When a wave rises into the chamber, the rise are currently 50,000 coal plants around the world and that
water pushes the air out which then turns a generator. number is expected to grow.
Once the wave goes down, air flows into the turbine and back Nuclear plants may not release anything harmful into the air.
into the chamber through doors that will close. The issue is how we dispose of the spend rods and if another
nuclear accident should occur. We remember Chernobyl and
These chambers remain afloat on the ocean and how much Three Mile Island. We have probably learned better ways to
power it produces varies. A lot of these are used on the prevent another incident from happening. Through the years,
western coasts of Scotland, northern Canada, southern Africa, a few minor accidents have occurred and although the leak was
Australia, and the northwestern coasts of the United States. contained, just imagine if it wasn’t?
These systems are usually small and can power a warning buoy
or a small light house. Green energy sources may not be maintenance free but at least
it does not require that much to maintain them compared to
There is also tidal energy. The difference with wave energy conventional means. In the end, we save money because such
is that when the tide approaches, the water is trapped in facilities don’t cost that much to operate.
reservoirs behind dams. When the tide drops, the water
behind the dam is released thus producing power similar to a The next advantage of using green energy sources is that we
hydroelectric power plant. will never run out of them. For centuries, the sun’s rays have
reached so has the wind which is blown from the sea. By using
This can only work if you have tides that are at least 16 feet and it, we decrease our dependence on oil which is a nonrenewable
since there are only a few places in the planet that can do that. resource.
Lastly, you have ocean thermal energy. Here, you get power If you think about it, many of us have taken these green
based on the different temperatures in the water. For this energy sources for granted. If we do the right thing now, future
to work, you need at least 38 degrees Fahrenheit difference
5
July 24th, 2010 Published by: tiyarli
generations will not have to face the mess that we could have technology. It is readily available unlike the other two which is
handled on our own years before. totally dependent on the weather.
In short, the power is in our hands. We have the technology Another is the fact that you can even use organic waste to
and we know what to do with it. The only thing we need is to product electricity. No other green energy source can do that
do is to put our money where our mouth is because despite the and by using this extensively, any government can save money
number of conferences on global warming and climate change, because you don’t have to spend money to dispose of the waste
little has happened. and you will no longer depend on foreign oil that much to
power your plants.
It is easy to talk about how concerned we are about the
environment but you have to ask yourself when will more solar The downside to biomass is that because you have to burn
panels or wind turbines will be erected? When will the number waste and other organic materials to product power, you add
of coal or nuclear power plants be reduced? to the pollution which is already in the atmosphere. But this
can be offset of course by planting more crops which we know
Green energy sources is the solution to the environmental, helps reduce the amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere.
political and social problems of this lifetime. By spending
more on these technologies, no country will have to depend on You will also have to shell out a lot of money initially for
another or even a corporation for their power needs because the costs of labor, the transport of these fuels and how these
they are self dependent and free. should be stored.
If you are able to compare the amount of electricity generated When we refer to passive solar energy, nothing is converted.
between biomass and let’s say solar energy, you will notice that What happens is the building’s design helps avoid heat loss
biomass produces more because the energy in plants is already and gets the most out of day lighting.
captured and stored.
Such a technique can also be used in homes because studies
You don’t have to collect it first which is what happens have shown that this can reduce the heating requirements by
with solar or even wind energy since this is manufactured as much as 80% with minimal cost. This means you don’t have
to turn on the air condition or heater that often and if everyone
6
July 24th, 2010 Published by: tiyarli
does that, we don’t consume that much electricity which we get
from non-renewable resources.
The third approach is the big scale version and it can power
an office or an entire home. This is done with the help of solar
cells that convert sunlight into electricity. The smallest ones
around can be seen in calculators and watches with large ones
planted over huge acres of land.
The only limitation to this green energy source is the fact that it
can only generate power when the weather is good and the sun
is out. Should it rain, then nothing is collected and converted.
When this happens, the auxiliary system is turned on until the
weather improves.