Renewable Energy Systems

Topics
Introducing Renewable Energy
Solar Thermal Energy
Solar Photovoltics
Bio-energy
Hydroelectricity
Tidal Power
Wind Energy
Wave Energy
Geothermal Energy
Text book
Renewable Energy: Power for a Sustainable
Future, Boyle, Godfrey, Oxford: Oxford Univ.
Press, 2004, Second edition.
Ref.
Renewable Energy Resources, John Twidell and
Tony Weir, Taylor & Francis, 2006, Second edition.
Renewable Energy: Its physics, engineering, use,
environmental impacts, economy and planning
aspects, Bent Srensen, Elsevier Science, 2004,
Third Edition
 Chapter One
Introduction
Basic concepts
Force, energy and power
Energy conservation: The First Law of Thermodynamics
Forms of energy
Conversion and efficiency
Present-day energy use
Word Energy Supply
Energy Use in Jordan
Fossil Fuels and Climate Change
Renewable Energy sources
Solar Energy: Direct use
Solar Energy: Indirect use
Non Solar Renewables
Renewable energy in a sustainable future
 Force, energy and power
Diverse forms of energy
Thermal energy (heat)
Chemical energy (in fuels or batteries)
Kinetic energy (in moving substances)
Electrical energy,
gravitational potential energy, and various others.
To change the motion of any object, a force is needed,
and the formal SI unit for force, the Newton (N), is
defined as that force which will accelerate a mass of
one kilogram (kg) at a rate of one meter per second per
second (m/ s2)
 Force, energy and power
Whenever a force is moving something, it must be
providing energy.
Energy (in Joules) = Force (Newtons) x Distance (in m)
Power is the rate at which energy is converted from one
form to another, or transferred from one place to another.
Its unit is the watt (W), and one watt is defined as one joule
per second.
In practice, it is often convenient to measure energy in
terms of power used for a given time period.
If the power of an electric heater is 1 kW, and it runs for an
hour, we say that it has consumed one kilowatt-hour (kwh)
of energy.
1 kwh = 3600 s/hr x 1000 J/s = 3.6 x 106 Joules
Energy conservation: The First Law of
Thermodynamics
In any transformation of energy from one form to
another, the total quantity of energy remains
unchanged.
This principle, that energy is always conserved, is
called the First Law of Thermodynamics
Forms of energy: four: kinetic, gravitational,
electrical and nuclear
kinetic energy = 0.5 x mass x speed2
Thermal energy, or heat, is the name given to the
kinetic energy associated with this rapid random
motion
Gravitational and electrical energy
gravitational energy (potential energy) = force x
distance = weight x height = m x g x h.
The electrical energy;
Electric currents - organized flows of electrons in a
material. In metals, one or two electrons from each
atom can become detached and move freely through
the lattice structure of the material. These 'free
electrons' allow metals to carry electrical currents.
Voltage (in volts) is a measure of the energy required
to maintain a current.
power = voltage x current
 Electromagnetic Energy
Energy carried by electromagnetic radiation
(form in which solar energy reaches the earth)
Electromagnetic energy is radiated in greater
or lesser amounts by every object. It travels as
a wave that can carry energy through empty
space. The length of the wave (its wavelength)
characterizes its form, which includes X-rays,
ultraviolet and infrared radiation, visible light,
radio waves and microwaves.
 Nuclear energy
Atoms of uranium are split apart in a 'fission
process that generates large amounts of heat.
The energy source of the sun is also of nuclear
origin. Here the process is not nuclear fission
but nuclear fusion. In which enormous
quantities of hydrogen atoms fuse to form
helium atoms, generating massive amounts of
solar radiation in the process.
 Conversion and efficiency
When we convert energy from one form to another,
the useful output is never as much as the input. The
ratio of the useful output to the required input (usually
expressed as a percentage) is called the efficiency of
the process.
The difference between the high and low conversion
efficiencies is because the latter involve the conversion
of heat into mechanical or electrical energy.
the essential message of the Second Law of
Thermodynamics: that there is necessarily a limit to
the efficiency of any heat engine (Carnot efficiency).
 General
The renewable energy sources, derived principally from the
enormous power of the sun's radiation, are at once the
most ancient and the most modern forms of energy used
by humanity.
Solar power, both in the form of direct solar radiation and
in indirect forms such as bioenergy, water or wind power,
was the energy source upon which early human societies
were based
The development of nuclear energy following World War II
raised hopes of a cheap, plentiful and clean alternative to
fossil fuels. But nuclear power development has stalled in
recent years, due to increasing concern about cost, safety,
waste disposal and weapons proliferation.
 General cont
a sustainable energy source is:
one that is not substantially depleted by continued use,
does not entail significant pollutant emissions or other
environmental problems,
does not involve the perpetuation of substantial health
hazards or social injustices.
Renewables' appear generally more sustainable than
fossil or nuclear fuels: they are essentially
inexhaustible and their use usually entails much lower
emissions of greenhouse gases or other Pollutants and
fewer health hazards.
 Present-day energy use:
World energy supplies
World energy use in the year 2002
reached an estimated 451 EJ
(exajoules), or some 10 800 Mtoe.
Fossil fuels provided three
quarters of the total energy use
At current consumption rates, proven
world coal reserves should last for
about 200 years, oil for approximately
40 years and natural gas for around 60
years. (BP, 2003)
Energy Situation in Jordan
Energy Situation in Jordan
 Fossil fuels and climate change
Society's current use of fossil and nuclear fuels has many adverse
consequences: air pollution, acid rain, the depletion of natural
resources and the dangers of nuclear radiation.
The surface temperature of the earth establishes itself at an
equilibrium level where the incoming energy from the sun balances
the outgoing infrared energy re-radiated from the surface back into
space
If the earth had no atmosphere its average surface temperature
would be -18 OC, OC; but its atmosphere includes 'greenhouse
gases', principally water vapour, carbon dioxide and methane.
These act like the panes of a greenhouse, allowing solar radiation to
enter but inhibiting the outflow of infrared radiation.
The natural 'greenhouse effect' they cause is essential in
maintaining the earth's surface temperature at a level suitable for
life, around 15 OC.
 Fossil fuels and climate change
The principal contributor to the increased emissions of Green house
Gases (GHG) is carbon dioxide from the combustion of fossil fuels
Scientists estimate (IPCC, 2001) that these 'anthropogenic' (human-
induced) emissions caused a rise in the earth's global mean surface
temperature of 0.6 OC during the twentieth century
If emissions are not curbed, the surface temperature is predicted to
rise by 1.4 to 5.8 OC by the end of the twenty-first century.
Such rises will probably cause an increased frequency of climatic
extremes, such as floods or droughts, and serious disruption to
agriculture and natural ecosystems
The threat of global climate change caused by carbon dioxide
emissions from fossil fuel combustion is one of the main reasons
why there is a growing consensus on the need to reduce such
emissions. I.e., switch to low- or zero-carbon energy sources such as
renewables
 Renewable energy sources
Renewable energy can be defined as 'energy
obtained from the continuous or repetitive
currents of energy recurring in the natural
environment
Solar energy: Direct uses
Passive usage
Solar Thermal Energy Conversion
Photovoltiac
CSP
 Renewable energy sources
Solar energy: Indirect uses
Hydropower
Wind power
Biogas
Wave energy
Non-solar renewables
Tidal energy
Geothermal energy
 Reasons for Renewable Energy
Declining Fossil Fuel Supplies
Environmental Concerns
Global warming
Political Concerns
Increasing Cost of Fossil Fuels
Business Opportunities
Other Reasons
 Sustainable Energy
Renewable Sustainable
Hydro Power Hydrogen & Fuel Cells
Wind Energy Nuclear
Oceanic Energy Fossil Fuel Innovation
Solar Power Exotic Technologies
Geothermal Integration
Biomass Distributed Generation