11.2: Renewable Energy
- Page ID
- 213601
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\(\newcommand{\avec}{\mathbf a}\) \(\newcommand{\bvec}{\mathbf b}\) \(\newcommand{\cvec}{\mathbf c}\) \(\newcommand{\dvec}{\mathbf d}\) \(\newcommand{\dtil}{\widetilde{\mathbf d}}\) \(\newcommand{\evec}{\mathbf e}\) \(\newcommand{\fvec}{\mathbf f}\) \(\newcommand{\nvec}{\mathbf n}\) \(\newcommand{\pvec}{\mathbf p}\) \(\newcommand{\qvec}{\mathbf q}\) \(\newcommand{\svec}{\mathbf s}\) \(\newcommand{\tvec}{\mathbf t}\) \(\newcommand{\uvec}{\mathbf u}\) \(\newcommand{\vvec}{\mathbf v}\) \(\newcommand{\wvec}{\mathbf w}\) \(\newcommand{\xvec}{\mathbf x}\) \(\newcommand{\yvec}{\mathbf y}\) \(\newcommand{\zvec}{\mathbf z}\) \(\newcommand{\rvec}{\mathbf r}\) \(\newcommand{\mvec}{\mathbf m}\) \(\newcommand{\zerovec}{\mathbf 0}\) \(\newcommand{\onevec}{\mathbf 1}\) \(\newcommand{\real}{\mathbb R}\) \(\newcommand{\twovec}[2]{\left[\begin{array}{r}#1 \\ #2 \end{array}\right]}\) \(\newcommand{\ctwovec}[2]{\left[\begin{array}{c}#1 \\ #2 \end{array}\right]}\) \(\newcommand{\threevec}[3]{\left[\begin{array}{r}#1 \\ #2 \\ #3 \end{array}\right]}\) \(\newcommand{\cthreevec}[3]{\left[\begin{array}{c}#1 \\ #2 \\ #3 \end{array}\right]}\) \(\newcommand{\fourvec}[4]{\left[\begin{array}{r}#1 \\ #2 \\ #3 \\ #4 \end{array}\right]}\) \(\newcommand{\cfourvec}[4]{\left[\begin{array}{c}#1 \\ #2 \\ #3 \\ #4 \end{array}\right]}\) \(\newcommand{\fivevec}[5]{\left[\begin{array}{r}#1 \\ #2 \\ #3 \\ #4 \\ #5 \\ \end{array}\right]}\) \(\newcommand{\cfivevec}[5]{\left[\begin{array}{c}#1 \\ #2 \\ #3 \\ #4 \\ #5 \\ \end{array}\right]}\) \(\newcommand{\mattwo}[4]{\left[\begin{array}{rr}#1 \amp #2 \\ #3 \amp #4 \\ \end{array}\right]}\) \(\newcommand{\laspan}[1]{\text{Span}\{#1\}}\) \(\newcommand{\bcal}{\cal B}\) \(\newcommand{\ccal}{\cal C}\) \(\newcommand{\scal}{\cal S}\) \(\newcommand{\wcal}{\cal W}\) \(\newcommand{\ecal}{\cal E}\) \(\newcommand{\coords}[2]{\left\{#1\right\}_{#2}}\) \(\newcommand{\gray}[1]{\color{gray}{#1}}\) \(\newcommand{\lgray}[1]{\color{lightgray}{#1}}\) \(\newcommand{\rank}{\operatorname{rank}}\) \(\newcommand{\row}{\text{Row}}\) \(\newcommand{\col}{\text{Col}}\) \(\renewcommand{\row}{\text{Row}}\) \(\newcommand{\nul}{\text{Nul}}\) \(\newcommand{\var}{\text{Var}}\) \(\newcommand{\corr}{\text{corr}}\) \(\newcommand{\len}[1]{\left|#1\right|}\) \(\newcommand{\bbar}{\overline{\bvec}}\) \(\newcommand{\bhat}{\widehat{\bvec}}\) \(\newcommand{\bperp}{\bvec^\perp}\) \(\newcommand{\xhat}{\widehat{\xvec}}\) \(\newcommand{\vhat}{\widehat{\vvec}}\) \(\newcommand{\uhat}{\widehat{\uvec}}\) \(\newcommand{\what}{\widehat{\wvec}}\) \(\newcommand{\Sighat}{\widehat{\Sigma}}\) \(\newcommand{\lt}{<}\) \(\newcommand{\gt}{>}\) \(\newcommand{\amp}{&}\) \(\definecolor{fillinmathshade}{gray}{0.9}\)- 11.2.1: Renewable Energy History and Consumption
- This page discusses renewable energy sources like wind, solar, geothermal, hydropower, and biofuels, highlighting their replenishment, low carbon footprints, and minimal environmental impacts, though noting hydropower's methane emissions. It outlines the increased interest in renewables post-1970s oil shocks and presents statistics showing that by 2019, renewables accounted for 11.4% of global energy use and 26.
- 11.2.2: Wind Energy
- This page discusses wind energy, its generation from air movement due to solar energy, and its role in powering turbines for electricity production. It highlights the cost-effectiveness, job creation, and low environmental impact of wind energy compared to fossil fuels.
- 11.2.3: Solar Energy
- This page discusses solar energy as a leading renewable resource, highlighting its vast availability and various harnessing technologies, including passive designs that utilize architecture and active systems like photovoltaic cells. Despite its benefits, such as environmental sustainability, challenges like intermittent availability, storage limitations, and water use exist.
- 11.2.4: Geothermal Energy
- This page discusses geothermal energy, which originates from Earth's internal heat and is harnessed for electricity generation through power plants and heating/cooling via geothermal heat pumps. It highlights the environmental benefits and reliability of geothermal systems, while also acknowledging concerns about construction impacts and high costs. Overall, geothermal energy offers various applications with lower emissions than fossil fuels.
- 11.2.5: Hydropower
- This page discusses hydropower, a renewable energy source generated by harnessing moving water, primarily through dams and run-of-the-river systems. It highlights the benefits of small hydropower projects in providing energy to remote areas while acknowledging environmental concerns related to wildlife and habitat disruption. Small run-of-the-river systems are noted for their ability to minimize these issues, preserving river flow and ecosystem integrity.
- 11.2.6: Biofuels (Biomass Energy)
- This page examines biofuels as renewable energy sources from plants and waste, highlighting their benefits in electricity generation and transportation while cautioning against food competition and air pollution from combustion. The discussion includes the environmental impacts of emissions, especially in contributing to ground-level ozone, and emphasizes the importance of sustainable sourcing. An example of a bus using soybean biodiesel illustrates alternative energy applications.
- 11.2.7: Energy Conservation
- This page discusses energy conservation strategies that minimize waste and enhance efficiency through behavioral changes and technology enhancements. It highlights simple actions for energy savings and emphasizes the importance of energy audits to identify inefficiencies in homes. Recommendations include both low-cost fixes, like insulation, and larger investments, such as double-paned windows and geothermal heat pumps.
- 11.2.8: Data Dive- Global Renewable Energy Generation
- This page discusses Our World in Data (OWID), an online platform that utilizes research and data to address global issues such as poverty, disease, and climate change. It includes various visualizations, particularly interactive graphs, to effectively present information.