renewable energy

Your Questions About Renewable Energy Companies

Lizzie asks…

what can an industrial engineering doing in field of Renewable energy?

Dear all
I study industrial and systems engineering and I really want to work on Renewable energies but unfortunately I could not find any common field between my field of study and Renewable energies.
I was wondering if you could guide me to find a common field.

admin answers:

I remember from a television program I watched, that a little realized truth is that everything that gets manufactured, has a design. Everything has to come about in some real way, and that happens by design; I suppose that is a way of saying, that everything and anything could be done in more than one physical way, so, a specific way–a design-always has to be chosen, to be devised.

With whole systems like with energy systems renewable or otherwise, wouldn’t that “design” be something amounting to some kind of engineering one?
So, wouldn’t any such system, and maybe whole lots of the components, really have to be created by “industrial engineering” or “systems engineering”?

Industrial engineering, or systems engineering: term I’m not sure I specifically understand, and i’d guess they could (?) be more to do with engineering huge systems like factories to work efficiently or correctly? Well if so, wouldn’t doing that for the renewable energy companies you mention, be a kind of work fitting what you’re looking for? Aren’t big companies constantly striving to keep those systems working, or improved?
Or smaller companies that might not have their own engineers of your sort, must have to hire some kind of outside company. Wouldn’t they, to get that done to make it possible for them to build…or even to plan to build.

Research and development itself, too, just to consult or for the consultants to consult with, too , right?

The last i heard, although probably engineers aren’t credited or sometimes even noticed all that much, our lack of ability (unlike on tv shows) to just wave a magic wand and bring things into being, must mean that engineers actually, are “everywhere!”

Susan asks…

Who are some important people in renewable energy history?

I need to do a biography on a significant person in renewable energy, but I can’t find anything on the Internet. Could you please send me a site where I can find a biography?

admin answers:

Look up T. Boone Pickens. He is a former oil man and corporate raider who has a ton of money and wants to do wind farms all over the place.

He became famous in the 1980’s be acquiring big oil companies then selling them off (in whole or in part) and made a ton of money.

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Your Questions About Renewable Energy Definition

Chris asks…

How does energy efficiency and lowering energy consumption affect..?

How does energy efficiency and lowering energy consumption affect people on a local, national, international scale? In both positive and negative ways.

10 points to anyone who manages to give the most points!!
Thank-you

admin answers:

Less fossil fuel burning, improved energy security, improved energy independence, reduced foreign fuel import, etc.

Http://www.renewables-info.com/energy_definitions/energy_efficiency_definition.html

James asks…

I need to no what conventional and alternative energy is?

I have this huge geography test tomorrow and i was away alot of the time for this class so i didnt get any of the notes i need so i need to no everything possiable about the following :
conventional energy
alternative energy
sustainabilty
hydrogen
energy
water

Anything will help!

Thanks!

admin answers:

I’ll give you one to get you started.

Alternative energy is energy derived from sources that do not harm the environment or deplete the Earth’s natural resources. Typical sources include wind and solar. Nuclear power is usually excluded from this definition.

Related pages

* Renewable energy
* Sustainable energy
* Future energy development
* Alternative fuel vehicle
* Geothermal power
* Ocean energy

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Your Questions About Renewable Energy Content

Donna asks…

How are government and NGOs confronting climate change?

So far, I have that they demand the world move to renewable energy resources, what are two other ways the government and NGOs are confronting climate change? Thanks.

admin answers:

No Government, nor NGO is actually doing anything that would alter the course of the climate. There are some efforts to produce less CO2, http://www.rense.com/general88/cap.htm
but CO2 is not what drives the climate. Http://www.john-daly.com/forcing/moderr.htm
Many of their CO2 reduction efforts are really not to reduce CO2, but to use Global warming as an excuse for other policies ostensibly to reduce CO2 production. Http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index;_ylt=AiBvlwbwfJDBnLyqssvEh_Tty6IX;_ylv=3?qid=20100427155928AAb6Dwg&show=7#profile-info-A6qoNVxJaa
Obama is currently pushing a climate bill proposed by Sens. Kerry and Lieberman that restricts CO2 production in only certain sectors of the economy, and subsidizes off shore drilling and nuclear power.
Http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/05/12/AR2010051202913.html

Donald asks…

Why nuclear energy is our best option?

1. Its renewable, the spent nuclear fuel still has 95% of its energy content

2. Coal-fired plant is 100 times more radioactive than an equivalent nuclear reactor

3. It is very expensive to build but coal power plants spend 3 times of that each year

4. Our technology can prevent another Three mile island incident

if we have the strictest safety regulations and the most cleverly engineered plants Nuclear energy is the best option, any objections?

admin answers:

You just answered your own question. There is actually up to 98% Uranium/ fissile Pu in spent nuclear fuel. With advance reactors, we can eliminate longer lived/heavier fission products.

Well, duh the public doesn’t accept it. Yes, it is expensive, but the US government provides a lot of subsidies to make it competitive to fossil fuels. Recently, the US has streamlined it’s approval process, but not much. They are giving companies big tax breaks if they start building their reactors around 2012 give or take a year. I would need to look that up.

France and other countries… It is hard to evaluate them economically because their goverments own reactors.

Those reports the other guy stated, I would think are minority compared to the reports and recently form organizations to develop the next generation of nuclear reactors. Look up GNEP

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Your Questions About Renewable Energy World

Richard asks…

Instead of funding the Gulf Coast war to secure oil, should the US have focused on renewable energies?

Instead of provoking war with Iran and Iraq, causing thousands of deaths, to ensure control over the Gulf Region’s oil reserves (understandably because it holds an estimated 65% of all the world’s natural oil supply), we could have instead focused our funds on research into renewable energies, As the world moves toward renewable energy sources like wind, solar, and hydrogen, Saudi Arabia and the gulf region will have less influence over the world’s energy supply.

“If we really decided that we wanted a clean hydrogen economy, we could have it by 2010”

-US National Renewable Energy Laboratory Researcher, April 2001
@Ken: Bush slashed annual spending for energy efficiency and renewables but had no problem with preparing for a war that costed around $200 billion.

admin answers:

So what would you propose we use in the time until renewable energy is ready for wide scale use? It’s not like we can throw a bunch of money at it and have available right away. Even if they did invest all the money spent on the Gulf War (not “Gulf Coast” – that’s the coat along the Gulf of Mexico), we still would be years away fro wide scale use. And what would you propose for those people that can’t afford to purchase new cars using this new renewable energy source? Do we tell them they have to go without? Or would we have the government provide them with new cars, using taxpayer money to pay for them?

I don’t think the Gulf War was handle very well, and could have been done differently. But the oil was only one part of it. There was a lot of other reasons for the war.

Betty asks…

How and where to start a thesis related to sustainability and renewable energy?

I want to do my Bachelor’s thesis in the field of Sustainability and Renewable Energy in an economical perspective (e.g. how to apply it in our society without given up something) . But how to start?

admin answers:

What we are envisaging is:
all that is required- from fur, fuel, to fun, entertainments are self sufficient. It is possible in an understanding community, with proper planning for all – from animal breeding, herbs, crops, for computers, contact lenses, etc. Etc… , as in the old civilizations. While those generations used hardly a few k calories/day/person, & the population was not much, our set up, with much more population, mostly illiterate, uneducated
[ educated world only contributes even now for the NON SUSTAINABILITY, AND ECOLOGICAL DESTRUCTIONS, & IMBALANCES ! ] , set up, the sustainability CONCEPT is a tough thing to attain. Youngsters like you only can save whatever is available now for the next generations !

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Your Questions About Renewable Energy Companies

Joseph asks…

What is a good company to work for in the renewable energy field?

I have an extensive sales background and am very interested in the renewable energy field. Please help.

admin answers:

Citizenre specializes in selling leased solar panel equipment. But they are in very few areas since they are still expanding.

I wanted to become an associate but they are not yet expanded into my area.

The company is setup similar to mlm but there are no up front costs. All you have to do is complete the online training to become an affiliate.

Http://renu.citizenre.com/

Lizzie asks…

What will it take to change the way we consume energy on a mass scale?

From oil to coal we seem to be consuming energy from non-renewable sources. Do the major energy companies have a solution for a post-oil world? Does industry have a plan in place for producing goods when the lights go out? Are we just going to sit around and wait for the wells to go dry?

admin answers:

Individually, be aware of where of you dispose everything . Recycling has a major impact on our environment and it is also a political statement from the community. Politicians pay attention to your demands with the environment, now. Also , be aware of how alternative fuels work ahead of time, so when they become available you can demand either ethanol or biodiesel as a your choice of fuel. If the demand is big enough, the suppliers will produce.

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Your Questions About Renewable Energy

Thomas asks…

What universities offer online courses in renewable energy or green related fileds?

I am interested in the renewable energy, green field, etc. And i want to know if there are some universities offering these kind of online courses.

admin answers:

All courses and degrees dealing with “renewable energy” or “green field” without prerequisite degrees in Science or Engineering are bullbleep.

Students need a background in Science or Engineering (preferably Engineering) before they can understand energy issues. Otherwise, graduates of these phony courses just become loud and ignorant shrieking nuisances.

Michael asks…

When are republicans going to start supporting renewable energy?

Republicans are the biggest opponents of renewable energy legislation in Washington right now. Why?

http://features.csmonitor.com/environment/2008/07/31/gop-lawmakers-block-renewableenergy-credit-bill/

admin answers:

We do support renewable energy. The sources of renewable energy are just not reliable and we do not have enough of any of them right now. What most republicans want is for there to be a comprehensive energy package with nothing off the table. That means drilling, solar, nuclear, wind and whatever other sources can be invented or created. We are not slaves to the environmentalists who want only so-called clean energy. Democrats seem to be in the environmentalists pockets and are not willing to discuss anything except what the environmentalists will accept.

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Your Questions About Renewable Energy Content

Thomas asks…

How can the use of alternative sources of energy be encouraged?

“US President Barack Obama said on Saturday that his administration will hand out nearly $2 billion (£1.3bn) for new solar plants that will create thousands of jobs and increase the use of renewable energy sources.”
http://www.morningstaronline.co.uk/index.php/news/content/view/full/92353

admin answers:

Yes anything that reduces western democracys dependency on oil should be encouraged

Charles asks…

What are some advantages and disadvantages of using Chocolate as a alternative fuel?

So I am doing a essay on Alternative fuels. I came up with chocolate but, what are some advantages and disadvantages with using chocolate? For a advantage I came up with we are using renewable energy or in other words recycling and I can’t seem to find a disadvantage! Is there a issue with air pollution with this Alternative fuel as well?

admin answers:

The disadvantages are that the amount of chocolate needed to fuel a vehicle is too heavy to transport. Plus using chocolate for fuel would cause the price of chocolate to rise.

The advantages are that chocolate is a renewable fuel since it comes from coco beans. Chocolate might also smell bad when it is burnt as fuel.

If it is to be used a s a fuel you have to find out the BTU content.

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Your Questions About Renewable Energy Definition

Linda asks…

Is tidal Power tiddle power compared to the power of the Nukes Industry?

Slim Footwear (Greenpeace) responding to Chris Hulme’s announcement that 8 Nuclear Power Stations are to be built and the Green Energy tidal generation plans will be scrapped.
“Lib Dem voters backed a party that supported renewable energy and opposed taxpayer handouts to the nuclear industry..”

admin answers:

It depends largely on how you cost the two proposals. If you ignore the cost of decomissioning and waste treatment, then nuclear power is more economical.

If however, you factor in the cost of decomissioning and treatment of waste – the case for nuclear power becomes very, very difficult to support. That’s just the financial cost – there’s also human costs as regards unwanted land use.

Tidal power – by definition – does not take up any land, other than to manufacture the equipment.

This is very disappointing.

Paul asks…

What is the difference between renewable and sustainable energy sources?

Can something be sustainable but not renewable?

admin answers:

Renewable energy is energy generated from natural resources—such as sunlight, wind, rain, tides, and geothermal heat—which are renewable (naturally replenished)Renewable energy is derived from natural processes that are replenished constantly. In its various forms, it derives directly from the sun, or from heat generated deep within the earth. Included in the definition is electricity and heat generated from solar, wind, ocean, hydropower, biomass, geothermal resources, and biofuels and hydrogen derived from renewable resources.

Each of these sources has unique characteristics which influence how and where they are used.

Sustainable energy sources are most often regarded as including all renewable sources, such as biofuels, solar power, wind power, wave power, geothermal power and tidal power. It usually also includes technologies that improve energy efficiency

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Your Questions About Renewable Energy Certificates

Richard asks…

What possible reason could anybody ever have for wanting to get a renewable energy training certificate?

What possible reason could anybody ever have for wanting to get a renewable energy training certificate?

admin answers:

With engineering, manufacturing, agriculture, and customer support all outsourced to other countries what is left are the jobs that have to be done locally. This includes jobs to come to a customers home to survey, install and service their energy use.

Lisa asks…

What possible reason could anybody ever have for wanting to get a renewable energy training certificate?

What possible reason could anybody ever have for wanting to get a renewable energy training certificate?

admin answers:

To be a salesman perhaps is all it is really good for.

Most of that training is too short to go into any real depth or address any real issues such as structural integrity, windloading, building code issues, electrical code issues, and applicable state laws. As a standalone seminar, it is only consciousness rasing. If it is not part of an established curriculum in technical colleges, or universities- it has no recognizable value to the people doing the hiring. Who is accediting them? Another 501C3? Or a legit accredition agency like “North Central?”

If it is just another 501C3- save your money.

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Your Questions About Renewable Energy Group

Michael asks…

an electrical engineering can work on renewable energy?

I want to know if electrical engineering is the right choose to work on renewable energy like bio-diesel.biomass or hybrid technology also I want to know if an electrical engineer could lose his job when he become older for instance computer science company hired younger people is the same with electrical careers? thanks

admin answers:

An engineering background would be quite useful for renewable energies, quite useful for most things in general. Most engineering programs have a general engineering requirement where the students spend one to two years studying all the engineering fields before specializing so an electrical engineer would have sufficient chemical and mechanical engineering background to be useful in bio-diesel and biomass as well as be suited for the electronic controls inherent in all modern processes. Naturally, a hybrid would have a large electrical component that the EE would be useful for.

It’s illegal for a company to age discriminate but it is true that as one gets older and better paid, one’s liquidity on the labour market is reduced. However, many companies value experience and for good reason. Without some experience in a group, one’s bound to constantly repeat the same mistakes over and over again.

The risk of loosing one’s job and then finding it difficult to be re-employed is common no matter what the field and often if a company wants to take a risk on a prospective employee that they have not worked with before, they might as well hedge their bet by hiring somebody inexpensive such as a fresh grad.

You can take measures to ensure you remain valuable in the job market, insist that the company pay for at least one professional association membership and at least one industry conference a year. Attend the tutorial sessions and pay the extra $10 for the CEU credits so that you have something to add to your portfolio.

Above all, build up a network of contacts in the industry. It all boils down to relationships and people.

You might want to start with an English course though.

David asks…

How do I go about starting a small business?

I have an excellent idea for a small business. Its a renewable energy business in an area where that hasn’t tapped into that aspect yet. I don’t how to make my ideas become reality, where do I get financing to start it up?

admin answers:

You need to find the Small Business Development Center or similar group for YOUR state. For example, this is the one for Delaware:
http://www.dsbtdc.org/

They tell you who to contact, how to do it, what you need, all that type of thing.

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Your Questions About Renewable Energy World

Mark asks…

Where in the world is there undergraduate degrees in renewable energy and/or sustainability?

I’ve already found a few, such as the University of New South Wales – Photovoltaic/solar energy degree. However, I would like to fully know all my options for undergraduate degrees in solar energy/wind energy/renewable energy etc. Most other programs I’ve found have been standard engineering degrees, which lead to graduate work in the subject. Any university in the world is the scope, as I’m not committed to residing with the United States.

admin answers:

I think Slippery Rock University

George asks…

Can you make money by buying stocks of renewable energy companies?

since global warming and the need for more greener energy like wind power increases, is it really possible you can make lots of money by buying these companies now that are worth virtually nothing, and wait until the world gets the need of renewable energy? (buying shares of stocks). Thanks

admin answers:

Nobody can predict the movement of any stocks whether going up or coming down. Many of the market professionals use fundamental analysis of companies along with technical analysis like chartology, option movements and relative price strength of stocks.

There might be many people who think the same logic as yours and made investment in renewable energy companies. Consequently, some of these companies’ shares have gone up significantly where you might have to find a good spot to buy at certain time.

What you need to do is to study the company’s performance (revenues and earnings and their growth) in relation to the stock price. Also, look into the company’s financial condition (does it have a lot of debts?), market share of its products, product leadership, and earnings browth rates vs. Its competitors.

Since you will be investing your hard earned income, be very careful in doing the preliminary studies before investing. I recommend you also read a couple of books on investment.

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Your Questions About Renewable Energy For Kids

Helen asks…

Why do people think that renewable energy is not viable or economical?

Think about how much it costs to pull stuff out of the ground, refine it and ship it all over the world? How about wind, solar, geothermal, tidal etc?
I am not saying don’t have oil for back up. I am saying it shouldn’t be used first and only.
Elmer going onto websites and acting tough just makes you look like a sissy.
Dez Pirate that is a great answer. Thanks.

admin answers:

Probably because of years of big oil propaganda. I know I look a conspiracy theory nut saying this, but just look at some of these answers. Its sad. If they worked better, we would be using them. We aren’t using them, therefore they must not be better?? Are you kidding me? Do you know how much money oil companies spend lobbying not to spend grants on renewable energy research, or other forms of energy in general? Car companies and other industries that rely on fossil fuels like coal, natural gas, etc… Do this as well. They make too much money as it is, of course they dont want change.

We could make a lot of progress on renewable energy sources and ways to package it/store it if our government (and corporations) cared at all about anything more than money. General it they constantly say it isn’t an issue, and that global warming is fake, and that there is no alternative. We are the US for Pete’s sake. If it doesnt exist yet, then we should be making it happen. But no. We are controlled by greedy fat bastards

Jenny asks…

I know fluorescent lighting is more energy efficient but how much energy is it saving?

What if all the fluorescent lights in a classroom were turned off, about how much money or energy would that actually save?

admin answers:

Hey Pink, Jerry is pretty close on the power usage. To answer your question as directly as possible, my son is in 5th grade, and his classroom has three strips of lights, each one made up of five fixtures. Each fixture is 4 feet long and has 2 – 48inch tubes inside. This type of fixture generally uses 72watts with both tubes running. The total wattage for the room is 72 X 15 = 1,080 watts when all the lights are on. Flourescent lighting is about 4 times as efficient as incandescent lighting. To light that same room with old fashioned light bulbs would require over 4000 watts, so the power of flourescent lights is pretty easy to see.

Most schools pay a slightly reduced rate for electrical power, but still the amount varies quite a bit from state to state. In our town, a school should pay around 9 cents per kilowatt hour. A kilowatthour, or KWH is 1000 watts running for one hour. Let’s say the school is open for 8 hours, but the kids are only in the room for 6 of them. If the lights were on for 6 hours, it would use 6.5 KWH, at a cost of about 60 cents. So if the lights were off all day, it would save the school 60 cents each day. If they were only on for 3 hours each day instead of 6, it would save 30 cents each day of school, or about $6.00 per month. Again, this will vary school to school, and town to town, but the idea is the same.

If you’re in the education business, here is something you might be interested in. Look online for a device called a, “Kill – A – Watt,” meter. They cost around $35. They look like a lamp timer, but are really a load meter. Plug it into the wall, then plug any device with a cord you have laying around into the meter. It will tell you how many watts your device is using at the moment, and how many KWH’s it has used over time. Some models even let you punch in your utility rate, and it spits out how much your device has used in dollars and cents for as long as you have it plugged in. Now take a lamp and put in a 40 watt light bulb and run it on the meter, it will tell you it is using 40 watts. Next, change the bulb to a 15 watt compact flourescent one, it will register 15 watts, but ask the kids in the room which one is brighter, turns out they are about the same. It’s really interesting to see the lights literally come on in the room when you do experiments like this.

We live in a home that is powered by the wind and sun, and over time we’ve had to learn a great deal about energy savings. From time to time, we get to run a solar power seminar for the kids in the schools in our area, and this is one of the experiments we do. It’s also interesting to plug other items into the meter, like a radio, or a game system, so the kids can see how much they are using at home. There is a great magazine out that covers all this stuff, it’s not very common on news racks, it’s called Home Power. I will include the link below, and some other places you can google to find out lots of interesting info on renewable energy and energy savings. Take care Pink, Rudydoo

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Your Questions About Renewable Energy Jobs

Mark asks…

How would I get a intern-like job (non-payed) in a renewable energy company?

I’m 16, and will be 17 by the summer, I’m still in Secondary school and I would really like to get some sort of insight into renewable energy over the summer, as I would like to persue a career in that field. I live in Ayr in Scotland, so it would have to be near there possibly out to glasgow. I’ve no idea how to go about it, and I don’t know what company I could go to either. The company I could think of is EDF Energy. I thought of maybe writing an email and asking if I could come in and maybe help out, getting coffee etc. Any help would be great!

admin answers:

Research a list of companies in your area, or close to where you live. Look under their “careers” page on their websites to determine if they have any internship positions available. If they do, apply for them. If not, contact the company and describe how interested you are in renewable energy and that you would be willing to intern/help over the summer.

I hope this helps! Being proactive usually helps in cases like these. You never know what will happen if you don’t try!

Laura asks…

Where to look for jobs in renewable energy?

I wish to find employment in the renewable energy field. I am a physics graduate and wish to work in the UK preferably. Any ideas?

admin answers:

Ask them if their force is also renewable…

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Your Questions About Renewable Energy Group

Mandy asks…

What are some interest groups for farming/agriculture?

I’m doing a government project. I’m having some troubles, Could someone help me?

These are the principles our group stands for :

-more regulation over industries
could cause environmental problems
-Family farmers supply clean food supply
-Farmers feed us
-For more crops
-For renewable energy

I need some interest groups that support these things.

and we also are against industries because they cram animals together in small places and that creates problems, while Farmers don’t do that
thanks so much for your help 🙂

admin answers:

Groups that come to mind:

PETA (people for the ethical treatment of animals)
Organic growers groups (there are a number of these, mostly local county based)
http://www.ota.com/organic_and_you/10reasons.html
Renewable fuels association (http://www.ethanolrfa.org/)

good luck.

Robert asks…

What are some interest groups for farming/agriculture?

I’m doing a government project. I’m having some troubles, Could someone help me?

These are the principles our group stands for :

-more regulation over industries
could cause environmental problems
-Family farmers supply clean food supply
-Farmers feed us
-For more crops
-For renewable energy

I need some interest groups that support these things.

and we also are against industries because they cram animals together in small places and that creates problems, while Farmers don’t do that

admin answers:

Http://organicconsumers.org
http://www.localharvest.org
http://www.rodaleinstitute.org
http://www.attra.org

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Alternative Energy in Ireland

The Irish are currently pursuing energy independence and the further development of their robust economy through the implementation of research and development into alternative energy sources. At the time of this writing, nearly 90% of Ireland’s energy needs are met through importation the highest level of foreign product dependence in the nation’s entire history. This is a very precarious situation to be in, and the need for developing alternative energy sources in Ireland is sharply perceived. Ireland also seeks to conserve and rejuvenate its naturally beautiful environment and to clean up its atmosphere through the implementation of alternative energy supplies. The European Union has mandated a reduction in sulphuric and nitric oxide emissions for all member nations. Green energy is needed to meet these objectives. Hydroelectric power has been utilized in Ireland in some areas since the 1930s and has been very effective however, more of it needs to be installed. Ireland also needs to harness the wave power of the Atlantic Ocean, which on its west coast is a potential energy supply that the nation has in great store.

Ireland actually has the potential to become an energy exporter, rather than a nation so heavily dependent on energy importation. This energy potential resides in Ireland’s substantial wind, ocean wave, and biomass-producing alternative energy potentials. Ireland could become a supplier of ocean wave-produced electricity and biomass-fueled energy to continental Europe and, as they say, make a killing. At the present time, Ireland is most closely focused on reaching the point where it can produce 15% of the nation’s electricity through wind farms, which the government has set as a national objective to be reached by 2010. But universities, research institutes, and government personnel in Ireland have been saying that the development of ocean wave energy technology would be a true driving force for the nation’s economy and one which would greatly help to make Ireland energy independent. A test site for developing wave ocean energy has been established in Ireland, less than two miles off the coast of An Spideal in County Galway Bay. This experimental ocean wave harnessing site is known as Wavebob. The most energetic waves in the world are located off the West coast of Ireland, says Ireland’s Marine Institute CEO Dr. Peter Heffernan. The technology to harness the power of the ocean is only just emerging and Ireland has the chance to become a market leader in this sector. David Taylor, CEO of the Sustainable Energy Initiative,or SEI, tells us that SEI is committed to innovation in the renewable energy sector. Wave energy is a promising new renewable energy resource which could one day make a significant contribution to Ireland’s electricity generation mix thereby further reducing our reliance on fossil fuels.

Padraig Walshe, the president of the Irish Farmers Association, tells us that with the closure of the sugar beet industry, an increasing amount of Irish land resources will become available for alternative uses, including bioenergy production. Today, renewable energy sources meet only 2% of Irelands total energy consumption. From a farming perspective, growing energy crops will only have a viable future if they provide an economic return on investment and labour, and if the prospect of this return is secure into the future. Currently the return from energy crops is marginal and is hampering the development of the industry. Biomass energies need to be further researched by Ireland.

Your Questions About Renewable Energy For Kids

Michael asks…

What are renewable & non- renewable energy resources?

What are renewable energy resources? Give three examples
What are non-renewable energy resources? Give two examples
btw this is out of curiosity i never really listened in science… =]

admin answers:

Renewable energy is energy generated from natural resources—such as sunlight[2], wind, rain, tides and geothermal heat—which are renewable (naturally replenished). Renewable energy technologies include solar power, wind power, hydroelectricity, micro hydro, biomass and biofuels.

Http://www.eia.doe.gov/kids/energyfacts/sources/whatsenergy.html

Non-renewable energy is energy taken from “finite resources that will eventually dwindle, becoming too expensive or too environmentally damaging to retrieve”, [1] as opposed to renewable energy sources, which “are naturally replenished in a relatively short period of time.” [2]

Fossil fuels:
Coal exists as a mined solid.
Petroleum is a liquid, and forms the basis for heating oil, diesel fuel, and gasoline.
Natural gas is commonly also referred to just as gas. It is mostly methane, and most of the additional material is removed before use as a fuel.
Nuclear energy fuel for fission is mined as Uranium ore, see Renewable energy#Nuclear power.

Goodluck! Sometimes I agree science is BORING!

Jenny asks…

is the solution to the energy problem under our feet?

I refer to geothermal energy. With modern drilling techniques it ought to be possible to drill in many locations throughoiut the world to obtain clean, polutionless heat in unlimited quantity. Why has this idea not taken off?
Oh dear! These answers are all crap.

admin answers:

I was wondering the same thing. Apparently ample amounts of geothermal energy is not accessible in many areas. It is used in a few places here in N.C. At youtube under “alternative energy” many video’s about people all over the world creating a generator that runs strictly on magnets is shown (either they stole the idea from each other or all got the same idea on the same day – not sure lol) but its about the size of a small outdoor central air conditioning unit, and will run an entire house of electricity, and will probably hold up to punishment for about 30 to 40 years before it needs replacing but all utilities would be free as well as zero pollution. The magnets would probably be recyclable for reuse as well. At TEDtalks.com a huge amount of video’s there on future energy inventions, the best of which is being tested at UCLA now in California, of hydrogen powered refrigerators. They actually got one working but its enormous size is not useable but they are working to reduce it in size. The project came up by African nurses that travel from village to village to give insulin injections to those off grid. The trouble is to keep the insulin cold while traveling since it has to be refrigerated. An Ice chest just won’t stay cold in the extreme heats of the arid country so UCLA set out to invent something portable. They say soon, everybody will be able to create their own power with their own water which of course is non polluting as well. Frankly tho the gov talks big about renewable energy, there are many proven techniques to achieve this and they don’t seem interested in any of it. Therefore, I don’t think renewable energy is a true concern of theirs but a front for something “not green” unless its money. If we could all make our own power image the billions lost each year in kick backs to officials who all get free shares in nuclear power etc. They want our dollars and blame it on the environment. They could care less about pollution, or costs or damage to the earth frankly. Its all about the dollar. But check out Tedtalks.com for tons of inspirational video’s. TED stands for Technology, entertainment, and (i forget what D is for) anyway, its worldwide experts in every field you can imagine. They show a super poor boy that lived in africa, saw a book once about wind energy from a traveling library in a bus. Years later he built the most incredible wind turbine out of scraps from the near by dump. This thing looks like total trash and yet he burns like 4 lights in his mothers hut all equivalent to 4 christmas tree lights. Not much light, but for a kid, in a 3rd world country, who only checked out a book once, all that info stuck in his head. Imagine what he could do with an actual battery or LED lights. Its a web site of the most amazing things i’ve ever witnessed. GL on your search. Elon College in North Carolina has 4 geothermal wells dug so far and is going to expand they are so pleased with their new system so check that out online as well. Good luck on your search and peace

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Your Questions About Renewable Energy Definition

Carol asks…

Do the leftwingers like sticking a giant middle finger in those who sacrificed to make our lives better?

Dinosaurs sacrificed their bodies to become our fuel, but liberals don’t want to use fossil fuels. That’s right; dinosaurs, which are one of the definitions of AWESOME in the dictionary, are being told to go away by the liberals.

Using renewable energy is the same thing as saying “**** YOU!” to the dinosaurs. FACT.

admin answers:

That fossil fuel is also responsible for polluting this world. We accept that we’re still dependent on fossil fuel, but we are also exploring non-polluting energy resources.

Jenny asks…

What real experience (not self serving or self promoting) is Hillary Clinton talking about?

Clinton as made the statement “since when has experience become bad?”
What experience does she have? If she were not married to Bill Clinton, is there anything she has done that would associate her name with: women’s rights? Health care? Children’s advocacy? Homeland security? Renewable energy?

Other than taking donations in exchange political favors that usually means the working class will be paying for it, what has she actually done in ther alleged career?

admin answers:

In a news conference Deanna Favre announced she will be the starting QB for the Packers this coming Sunday. Deanna asserts that she is qualified to be starting QB because she has spent the past 16 years married to Brett while he played QB for the Packers. During this period of time she became familiar with the definition of a corner blitz, and is now
completely comfortable with other terminology of the Packers offense. A survey of Packers fans shows that 50% of those polled supported the move.
Does this sounds idiotic and unbelievable to you? Well, Hillary Clinton makes the same claims as to why she is qual ified to be President and 50% of democrats polled agreed. She has never run a City, County, or State.

When told Hillary Clinton has experience because she has 8-years in the White House, Dick Morris stated, ‘So has the pastry chef.’

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Your Questions About Renewable Energy

James asks…

What is the role of renewable energy in addressing climate change?

What are the advantages and disadvantages of renewable energy in to climate change? Whatare the contributions of renewable energy to climate change?

admin answers:

It is a political term to describe power sources that don’t emit much CO2 but which can’t actually provide the power our civilisation needs (so far no country has managed to get much more than 20% of their power from wind or solar and even then they had to rely on their neighbours’ hydro and nuclear as well as their own coal to prevent the grid from collapsing). Hydro is the main renewable energy source for electricity production right now but is opposed by most of the people who claim we need renewable energy (and unlike their opposition to nuclear power they actually have good reasons to oppose hydro).

They are used mainly to delay the switch to nuclear power (which despite being not renewable should be good for millions of years at higher than current energy use) that would allow us to actually solve the global warming problem and thus contribute to global warming by keeping the fossil fuel industry in business.

Basically the way it does that is that a bunch of windmills get built and start supplying power to the grid but because of natural variability in the wind they don’t provide that power all the time (20% of rated capacity is considered pretty good for wind) nor can we control when they provide their power so to use wind power you need a source of backup power that is reliable and usually that means fossil fuels (nuclear could be used but if you use nuclear for that then you may as well not bother with the windmills because the windmills would not reduce CO2 emissions or save money). Solar is less variable but PV cells cost a lot more and it still needs backup at night and partial backup on cloudy days. The need for backup means that the fossil fuel industry still gets to exist (and continue pumping CO2 into the atmosphere) if the way to address (if very badly) climate change is to use wind and solar.

Hydro and geothermal have the reliability to be used for baseload although they only work in some locations and hydro power probably won’t be used where it can be because of the massive environmental damage building a dam causes.

Wave and Tidal power when you calculate how much energy there is turn out to be way too diffuse to be useful. Biofuels show promise but not much because you need land to grow them on and that land could be better used growing food or even being turned back into forest.

William asks…

What’s the difference between renewable energy and environmental resources engineering?

Oregon Tech offers renewable energy engineering and Humboldt State offers environmental resources engineering. When I look at the differences between these 2, I couldn’t tell so what should I do? I’m a senior in highschool with a 3.6 GPA

admin answers:

Oregon tech is a masters degree. Humboldt is a bachelors. The humboldt state program is a more traditional “civil” engineering program, which is sort of parallel to environmental engineering. This is probably the safe bet, as these jobs are always in demand. The civil/environmental/water resource engineer does a variety of work and large and small projects. Treatment plants design, sewer line design, water line design, levee design, floodway studies, water quality studies (streams, lakes, rivers, industrial discharge water quality, etc…). Also, alot of report preparation, dealings with the EPA on almost all projects, public meetings explaining projects, drainage studies, storm drain design, environmental clean-ups… The list goes on…

As for the Oregon tech program, it seems more like a ‘green’ energy engineering program. I only briefly looked at the curriculum, bit it appears that they teach the fundamentals of todays renewable energy markets, and also emphasize research into those technologies. This type of engineering is more volatile and risky from a career standpoint, as those companies who engineer renewable energy are often start-ups, government subsidized, and so forth… With the price of copper so high now, the wind energy market is dying fast, since it is effectively impossible to cost effectively use wind power now… Same with solar, the rare earth minerals needed to produce the panels are in short supply, and getting more and more expensive, and on top of that, I belive the U.S. Has only one location where such minerals are mined, the rest are controlled by the Chinese overseas… Thats worth checking into, but I believe that to be the case currently. At any rate, perhaps the graduates from Oregon Tech will engineer new renewable energy sources that we haven’t heard of yet… That seems like the type of program that is… Highly research and innovation based. So a career in that line of work you have to understand the emerging technologies, strength of the markets, and the politics that usually go hand in hand with renewable energy technologies…

Both are ABET accredited engineering degrees, so you’ll be able to become professionally licensed once you complete your degree… That is a good thing, and you’ll want to avoid a program that isn’t accredited.

Good luck.

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Renewable Fuels for Alternative Energy

The Germans have really taken off when it comes to renewable fuel sources, and have become one of the major players in the alternative energy game. Under the aegis of the nation’s electricity feed laws, the German people set a world record in 2006 by investing over 10 billion (US) in research, development, and implementation of wind turbines, biogas power plants, and solar collection cells. Germany’s feed laws permit the German homeowners to connect to an electrical grid through some source of renewable energy and then sell back to the power company any excess energy produced at retail prices. This economic incentive has catapulted Germany into the number-one position among all nations with regards to the number of operational solar arrays, biogas plants, and wind turbines. The 50-terawatt hours of electricity produced by these renewable energy sources account for 10% of all of Germany’s energy production per year. In 2006 alone, Germany installed 100,000 solar energy collection systems.

Over in the US, the BP corporation has established an Energy Biosciences Institute (EBI) to spearhead extensive new research and development efforts into clean burning renewable energy sources, most prominently biofuels for ground vehicles. BP’s investment comes to 50 million (US) per year over the course of the next decade. This EBI will be physically located at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. The University is in partnership with BP, and it will be responsible for research and development of new biofuel crops, biofuel-delivering agricultural systems, and machines to produce renewable fuels in liquid form for automobile consumption. The University will especially spearhead efforts in the field of genetic engineering with regard to creating the more advanced biofuel crops. The EBI will additionally have as a major focal point technological innovations for converting heavy hydrocarbons into pollution-free and highly efficient fuels.

Also in the US, the battle rages on between Congress and the Geothermal Energy Association (GEA). The GEA’s Executive Director Karl Gawell has recently written to the Congress and the Department of Energy, the only way to ensure that DOE and OMB do not simply revert to their irrational insistence on terminating the geothermal research program is to schedule a congressional hearing specifically on geothermal energy, its potential, and the role of federal research. Furthermore, Gawell goes on to say that recent studies by the National Research Council, the Western Governors’ Association Clean Energy Task Force and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology all support expanding geothermal research funding to develop the technology necessary to utilize this vast, untapped domestic renewable energy resource. Supporters of geothermal energy, such as this writer, are amazed at the minuscule amount of awareness that the public has about the huge benefits that research and development of the renewable alternative energy source would provide the US, both practically and economically. Geothermal energy is already less expensive to produce in terms of kilowatt-hours than the coal that the US keeps mining. Geothermal energy is readily available, sitting just a few miles below our feet and easily accessible through drilling. One company, Ormat, which is the third largest geothermal energy producer in the US and has plants in several different nations, is already a billion-dollar-per-year business geothermal energy is certainly economically viable.

Your Questions About Renewable Energy Certificates

Mark asks…

What possible reason could anybody ever have for wanting to get a renewable energy training certificate?

What possible reason could anybody ever have for wanting to get a renewable energy training certificate?

admin answers:

While NABCEP or some other certification will not guarantee a job, it does give an advantage to an applicant. They show that the person has at least some basic knowledge and/or skills. It also shows an interest in the industry prior to the job posting.
If you know that you can get a job without it, good for you.
If you have no interest in the industry then don’t bother.
If you want to work in the industry or know what you enough to talk intelligibly about topics relating to renewable energy then get training.

Steven asks…

What possible reason could anybody ever have for wanting to get a renewable energy training certificate?

What possible reason could anybody ever have for wanting to get a renewable energy training certificate?

admin answers:

Marketing. Depending on how recognized that certificate is, it could help a person find a job in that field and increase a person’s knowledge of the field.

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