Globalization and Emerging Alternative Energy Technologies
Renewable Sources of Energy Worldwide - Today
An article I read by Anders Lotsson, Buisness2 magazine, provided and inside look at what emerging technologies are doing and were they are sprouting. What caught my attention was the section on Alternative Energy and how globalization, outsourcing and telecommunications are shaping the business world and touching remote areas providing a helping hand and changing lives.
Colombia is such an example, where a local and remote village, Las Gaviotas, has adopted biofuels, specifically biodiesel produced from palms utilized in modified engines. The region avoids erosion though the coconut plantation and benefits the local economy by the production of local biofuel. The dramatic reductions in fossil fuel costs have had a beneficial impact on the region. This has been possible by the ingenuity and support from Scientist from the University of Colorado (U.S.). Currently, 400,000 gallons of biofuel keep the economy in motion without the dependence on fossil fuels and associated pollution.
Iceland, is leading the implementation of hydrogen-fueled vehicles. They are the proud owners of the First Hydrogen fueling station. In Reykjavik they have put the hype into action were the city buses only emission is water. A joint operation between Shell Netherlands and Iceland’s New Energy spearhead the venture. Iceland' ambicious goal is to be non-fossil fuel dependent by 2050.
Australia, is taking advantage of the sun. In Newington Village, a town of merely 5000 inhabitants is capturing solar energy and powering up to 50 percent from this renewable source. One fifth of the homes currently have solar roofing providing an average of $600 savings from homeowner’s electricity bills. It is estimated that Globally the Solar industry will be worth $30Billion by 2010. Amongst the top players are Evergreen Solar (U.S) and Solar Technology (Australia)
Over-viewing the global scenario (US Energy Admin. 2002), alternative energy for electricity generation is taking hold. Primary Hotspots include south America countries of Brazil, Peru, Paraguay and Uruguay; the central-south African countries of Namibia, Gahanna, Zambia, Zaire, Congo, Tanzania, Mozambique, Ethiopia and Lesotho region in S. Africa; Within the European region Spain, Iceland, Scandinavia, Finland, Lithuania, Albania, Georgia and Azerbaijan; and the Asian front the countries of Nepal, Bhutan, Kyrgyz Stan, Tadzhiki Stan, and Laos. Amazingly, these hotspot countries generate 81-100 percent of the electricity via alternative sources. Shamefully, for the US, our efforts are still negligible.
With the advent of globalization, the only constraint for alternative sources of energy is our ongoing commitment to the cause of building a better future for our communities.รพ
Adriana Sanchez Gomez is an environmental writer and the publisher of Eco-Connections Blog. She is the Founder and CEO of Energy Consultants- Renewable Energy Specialists, breaching frontiers. To Learn more about The author, products, services or read additional articles go to: http://www.Eco-Connection.com, or call 1-888-818-5711x.6.
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The Basics of Hydrogen Fuel Cells
Plus Some of the Benefits of Using H2 Fuel Cell Technology
By Hans Dekker
Like many emerging alternative energy sources, hydrogen fuel cells are a relatively new technology. In fact, fuel cells were originally developed for the space program.
Fuel cells are somewhat similar to batteries in that they produce electricity by a chemical reaction combined with an electrical charge. The difference with batteries is that power is only produced while the fuel cell is being fed with hydrogen. You can find more in depth information about their workings on our site.
The amount of electricity the fuel cell produces depends on the size of the cell as well as the rate of flow of the hydrogen. The chemical reaction between hydrogen and the air produces electricity, water and heat.
The heat output from a fuel cell, however, is quite low when compared with other energy sources such as fossil fuels.
Advantages of Hydrogen Fuel Cells
There are several advantages of hydrogen fuel cells over other power supplies. First of all they are clean - the only by products are water and a little bit of heat.
Secondly, they are very efficient. Gasoline engines, for example, operate at an efficiency rate of about 20%. Fuel cells have an efficiency rate between 45% and 53%.
Hydrogen fuel cells can be used anywhere electricity is required. Since their size is scalable they can be made small enough to power an MP3 player or big enough to power a town. They can also be used to provide rotary power for vehicles.
The automobile industry is looking at fuel cells as a replacement for the internal combustion engine. If they become popular, cars powered with fuel cells will reduce our dependency on petroleum and cut down on pollution.
Hydrogen fuel cells have also been installed to provide power for industrial buildings and even whole neighborhoods.
Fuel cells are expected to replace petroleum as a power source within 50 to 100 years. They have broad commercial and social applications. They could be used to bring electricity to remote settlements around the world as well as to provide a source of renewable power for portable devices.
Government support and commercial interest has guaranteed the success of this sustainable, clean energy source.
This all might sound great, but there is a catch. We need energy to produce hydrogen. At the moment the most widely used energy source to produce that hydrogen are fossil fuels.
So fuel cells are certainly an option, but we will need a lot of extra research to find ways to safely produce the hydrogen we need.
Hans is author and owner ofhttp://www.alternative-energy-guide.com/. His site provides introductions and more in-depth articles about renewable energy sources.
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Does Nothing Beat Those Old Fossils? Alternative Energy Sources Take Up the Challenge
Sustainable Energy from Geothermal, Wind, Biomass, Solar and Hydro Resources
By Howard Puddy
What is alternative energy?
Alternative energy is just about any source of non mainstream energy supply. In other words, it is power supplied by things other than fossil fuels.
In general, non fossil fuel energy is thought to have less of an impact upon the environment than fossil fuels sources, so they are considered to be more sustainable.
What do we mean by sustainable?
Sustainable is generally defined both in terms of relatively low CO2 emissions as well as the ability to either renew, or to tap into, an almost infinite energy source. These two features are the hallmarks of an alternative energy source.
The key sources for alternative energy, excluding nuclear power are:
- Geothermal energy
- Wind Power
- Biomass
- Solar power
- Hydro electrical Power
A brief description of each alternative energy source is included below.
Geothermal Energy
Geothermal energy is an excellent source of heat and, b y boiling water to make steam, power in those areas where the earth’s crust is thinnest making heat more accessible. It is not really viable where you have to drill down a long way to capture the heat from the earth’s molten core.
Wind Power
The wind’s energy can be transferred into electricity by the use of wind turbines. These wind turbines are not fundamentally different from the windmills of old.
Their large blades catch the wind and are turned, just like any other windmill. The difference is that these blades turn a shaft that uses magnets to generate electricity. Previously, windmills turned a stone wheel to generate flour from wheat!
Biomass
This is basically the same method of energy generation as with fossil fuels. The only real difference being that the fuel has not been fossilised over millions of years and is from a renewable source (i.e. more can be grown).
Just about any form of organic matter can be used as biomass, whether it is animal products, wood products, rubbish or even refined vegetable oils such as oilseed rape or sunflower oil. Many vehicles have been converted to run on bio diesel - which is diesel that has been made from vegetable oils.
Solar Power
Solar power is probably the energy source that springs to mind when you are asked to name an alternative energy source. It is also the one that is becoming increasingly widespread in its use.
You can now buy DIY solar cells and solar panels, that you fit yourself. Solar power, as the name suggests, comes from the sun. The energy is used in one of two ways.
Heat energy - A solar panel absorbs the heat from the sun. It transfers this heat to the hot water supply, helping to generate hot water for day to day usage, or heating.
Electrical Energy - A photovoltaic cell captures the light energy or photons, to generate electricity. This electricity is usually stored in a battery and the battery is then used to provide electrical power.
Hydro Electrical Power
In mountainous areas especially, water is a key generator of alternative energy. This is known as hydroelectric power and is commonly generated from dams, and steep water falls.
Rather like a windmill but using water instead of wind, hydroelectric power is generated by falling water pushing past turbine blades. This causes the blades to spin, which causes the turbine to generate electricity.
Perhaps the key difference between wind and water is that wind speed can be variable. Water flow, on the other hand, tends to be relatively constant. This gives hydroelectric power an enormous advantage, as it can be relied upon as a constant source of electrical energy.
Similar techniques are used in the sea, using tidal flows to do much the same task. This is better known as tidal energy, but is fundamentally the same process.
In Summary
There are numerous other sources of alternative energy, including nuclear power generation, but the above 5 are the key types that are becoming increasingly widespread. In fact, over the course of the next decade, it is likely that these sources will stop being alternative and start becoming mainstream!
For more information and articles on alternative energy and a number of other interesting subjects, please visit Howard Puddy’s website at http://www.puddyshop.co.uk
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