sources of energy
Alternative Energy Development in Japan
Japan is a densely populated country, and that makes the Japanese market more difficult compared with other markets. If we utilize the possibilities of near-shore installations or even offshore installations in the future, that will give us the possibility of continued use of wind energy. If we go offshore, it’s more expensive because the construction of foundations is expensive. But often the wind is stronger offshore, and that can offset the higher costs. We’re getting more and more competitive with our equipment. The price if you measure it per kilowatt-hour produced is going lower, due to the fact that turbines are getting more efficient. So we’re creating increased interest in wind energy. If you compare it to other renewable energy sources, wind is by far the most competitive today. If we’re able to utilize sites close to the sea or at sea with good wind machines, then the price per kilowatt-hour is competitive against other sources of energy, go the words of Svend Sigaard, who happens to be president and CEO of the world’s largest wind turbine maker, Vestas wind systems out of Denmark. Vestas is heavily involved in investments of capital into helping Japan expand its wind turbine power generating capacity. It is seeking to get offshore installations put into place in a nation that it says is ready for the fruits of investment into alternative energy research and development.
The Japanese know that they cannot become subservient to the energy supply dictates of foreign nations World War II taught them that, as the US decimated their oil supply lines and crippled their military machine. They need to produce energy of their own, and they being an isolated island nation with few natural resources that are conducive to energy production as it is defined now are very open to foreign investment and foreign development as well as the prospect of technological innovation that can make them independent. Allowing corporations such as Vestas to get the nation running on more wind-produced energy is a step in the right direction for the Japanese people.
The production of energy through what is known as microhydoelectric power plants has also been catching on in Japan. Japan has a myriad rivers and mountain streams, and these are ideally suited places for the putting up of microhydroelectric power plants, which are defined by the New Energy and Industrial Technology Development Organization as power plants run by water which have a maximum output of 100 kilowatts or less. By comparison, minihydroelectric power plants can put out up to 1000 kilowatts of electrical energy.
In Japan, the small-scaled mini- and micro-hydroelectric power plants have been regarded for a considerable time as being suitable for creating electricity in mountainous regions, but they have through refinement come to be regarded as excellent for Japanese cities as well. Kawasaki City Waterworks, Japan Natural Energy Company, and Tokyo Electric Power Company have all been involved in the development of small-scale hydroelectric power plants within Japanese cities.
An Alternative Energy Education Method
The best method of educating young people about alternative energy production that this writer has ever witnessed is the use of the PicoTurbine Company’s kits, books, and projects. The PicoTurbine Company produces these things for the purpose of advancing the cause of renewable (alternative) energy and getting young people to look into the future and see that the environment that’s being seeded now is the one they will inherit then. As the late, great Gerry Ford said, Things are more like they are now than they have ever been before. If we are to change the future world for the better, then it starts right here and now with the advent of green energy systems.
One of the core concepts of PicoTurbine can be stated: Tell me, and I will forget. Show me, and I might remember some of it. Involve me, and I will master it. Based on this old tried and true adage, the kits that the company produces come with activity suggestions to get the young people into hands-on learning situations. One suggestion of the company is to demonstrate how heat can be produced by wind energy (the company’s specialty) through using a picture wire for the heating element. PicoTurbine has found that people typically think of wind energy as being cold energy, and are pleasantly surprised to see how wind can be used for generating heat in the home. Another project suggestion that the company offers is to have different groups split off in the classroom and then compare their respective wind turbines that they have built. They can see which ones produce the most or least electricity which ones start up with need of the least amount of wind power and for very young children, which ones have the most aesthetic appeal.
There is a core curriculum that PicoTurbine has in mind for teachers to instill in their pupils. Renewable, alternative sources of energy include solar, hydroelectric, geothermal, and biomass in addition to wind-produced energy. When we use more alternative sources of energy, we decrease our nation’s dependence on foreign oil supplies, which often come from nations who cannot really be called our allies. Alternative energy is already becoming cost effective when set against the fossil fuels that we are so reliant on currently.
PicoTurbine points out that wind farms and solar arrays are already letting their makers enjoy commercial success. In the last two decades, the cost of photovoltaic cells expressed in terms of per-watt has gone from nearly 1000 to just 4! It has been predicted by analysts that by the year 2015, the cost per watt should only be about 1 (in today’s dollars). Students also need to be taught about the hidden cost of fossil fuels: pollution and environmental degradation. Air pollution from burning fossil fuels has been shown through studies to increase incidences of asthma attacks, heighten the effects of allergies, and even cause cancer. Switching over to clean, green energy found in the alternative forms would prevent air pollution and help bolster the environment.
Biofuels as Alternative Sources of Energy
Biofuels are produced by converting organic matter into fuel for powering our society. These biofuels are an alternative energy source to the fossil fuels that we currently depend upon. The biofuels umbrella includes under its aegis ethanol and derivatives of plants such as sugar cane, as well as vegetable and corn oils. However, not all ethanol products are designed to be used as a kind of gasoline. The International Energy Agency (IEA) tells us that ethanol could comprise up to 10 percent of the world’s usable gasoline by 2025, and up to 30 percent by 2050. Today, the percentage figure is two percent.
However, we have a long way to go to refine and make economic and practical these biofuels that we are researching. A study by Oregon State University proves this. We have yet to develop biofuels that are as energy efficient as gasoline made from petroleum. Energy efficiency is the measure of how much usable energy for our needed purposes is derived from a certain amount of input energy. (Nothing that mankind has ever used has derived more energy from output than from what the needed input was. What has always been important is the conversion the end-product energy is what is useful for our needs, while the input energy is just the effort it takes to produce the end-product.) The OSU study found corn-derived ethanol to be only 20% energy efficient (gasoline made from petroleum is 75% energy efficient). Biodiesel fuel was recorded at 69% energy efficiency. However, the study did turn up one positive: cellulose-derived ethanol was charted at 85% efficiency, which is even higher than that of the fantastically efficient nuclear energy.
Recently, oil futures have been down on the New York Stock Exchange, as analysts from several different countries are predicting a surge in biofuel availability which would offset the value of oil, dropping crude oil prices on the international market to 40 per barrel or thereabouts. The Chicago Stock Exchange has a grain futures market which is starting to steal investment activity away from the oil futures in NY, as investors are definitely expecting better profitability to start coming from biofuels. Indeed, it is predicted by a consensus of analysts that biofuels shall be supplying seven percent of the entire world’s transportation fuels by the year 2030. One certain energy markets analyst has said, growth in demand for diesel and gasoline may slow down dramatically, if the government subsidizes firms distributing biofuels and further pushes to promote the use of eco-friendly fuel.
There are several nations which are seriously involved in the development of biofuels.
There is Brazil, which happens to be the world’s biggest producer of ethanols derived from sugars. It produces approximately three and a half billion gallons of ethanol per year.
The United States, while being the world’s greatest oil-guzzler, is already the second largest producer of biofuels behind Brazil.
The European Union’s biodiesel production capacity is now in excess of four million (British) tonnes. 80 percent of the EU’s biodiesel fuels are derived from rapeseed oil soybean oil and a marginal quantity of palm oil comprise the other 20 percent.
Your Questions About Sustainable Energy
Susan asks…
What has Bangladesh done to establish sustainable energy in it’s Nation?
-What projects, project proposals, development plans and in progress plans has Bangladesh had over the years to shift to sustainable energy? Any open declarations by leaders promising energy sustainability would also be appreciated.
admin answers:
I agree that moving toward sustainable energy is very important for Bangladesh and am excited to see the progress in the solar energy that a previous poster mentioned. One big challenge is that in many developing nations, not just Bangladesh, they can set up small solar outfits, but there is no infrastructure in place to share power generated with the larger community. An even bigger challenge is that even if Bangladesh chose to use only sustainable *sources of energy*, the infrastructure right now would still not be capable of fully supporting is population base. There is still a long road ahead for Bangladesh in terms of sustainable energy (not even going into the more holistic view of sustainability), but the seeds have been planted and I’m confident that the people of Bangladesh are up to the challenge and moving in the right direction.
Richard asks…
What type of engineers work in the field of sustainable energy?
What type of engineers work in the field of sustainable energy? For example solar power energy, wind energy, wave energy, water current energy. Would it be environmental engineering, civil or Mechanical?
thanks
what do you mean bbullough
admin answers:
Typically mechanical or chemical… But mostly engineers who work for companies that survive only on government subsidies and tax breaks… ’cause it ain’t sustainable.
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Your Questions About Sustainable Energy
Maria asks…
What aspect of renewable or sustainable energy would you be interested in looking into?
What aspect of renewable or sustainable energy would you, personally, be interested in looking into as a possible way to achieve a sustainable future?
Not asking anyone to answer this for me, but I don’t really understand the question. Is it asking like what type of energy source? Or what? Thank you!
admin answers:
There are several kinds of renewable or sustainable energy sources and these are different.
Renewable energy is what is there on our planet, that you can use and there will be more tomorrow, without you having to do anything. Those types of energy are solar and wind energy. You can capture these sources of energy fairly “easily”. (There are also geothermal, tidal and hydro electricity but those are not available everywhere – but they are all still renewable energy)
Sustainable energy comes from sources that you can keep going without reducing the availability (if you replace them). This would include wood, for instance. You can cut and burn wood for energy and replace it by planting more trees.
These are all different from non-renewable and non-sustainable sources, such as coal, oil and gas which are non renewable and non sustainable.
My personal interests would lie in (a) solar energy and (b) wood. In the northern part of the UK, the sun doesn’t always shine as much as we would like but wood grows well, so you get the use of both in case of need.
Helen asks…
What aspect of renewable or sustainable energy would you be interested in looking into as a possible?
What aspect of renewable or sustainable energy would you, personally, be interested in looking into as a possible way to achieve a sustainable future?
Not asking anyone to answer this for me, but I don’t really understand the question. Is it asking like what type of energy source? Or what? Thank you!
admin answers:
Solar power; Geothermal power; Windmills; Wave power and Tidal power are all necessary if we are to reduce our reliance on coal, gas and uranium to a sustainable level.
I personally am also interested in powering a laptop from a stationary bicycle with a fly wheel and generator.
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