Week 3
ALTERNATIVE ENERGY SOURCES
BURAK ÇELİK
ADA 412 Contemporary Problems in Urban Sustainability Bilkent University Department of Architecture 11.02.2018
What is “Alternative” Energy?
It is any energy source that is an alternative to fossil fuel. Renewable energy is a good example for sustainable environment. These alternatives are intended to address concerns about such fossil fuels, such as its high carbon dioxide emissions, an important factor in global warming. Alternative energy generally refers to any group of non-traditional fuel sources that does not burn fossil fuels or use up any type of natural resources which will result in damage or harm to the environment. In other words “Alternative Energy” is clean energy except Nuclear Powers. Solar Energy Wind Energy Geothermal Energy Tidal Energy Hydroelectric Energy Biomass Energy are all alternative sources of energy.
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Fossil Fuel Contamination harms environment. Oil and natural gas are in short supply so we must find new alternative sources of energy to replace them. Many government bodies, universities and scientists are all working on different ways in which we can replace conventional fossil fuels. Alternative energy sources fill the gap between non-realistic free energy sources and the more traditional fossil fuel energies of oil, gas and coal.
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There are many different types of alternative energy available, each with its own advantage and disadvantage but to get the most out of these environmentally friendly alternatives to fossil fuels, we first have to understand what are Alternative Energy Sources and how we can use them as an alternative to burning fossil fuels.
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Why to use alternative energy sources?
Power generation through alternative sources of energy is clean and ‘green’. If we shift to use power generated from these sources, then carbon dioxide emission from the conventional energy sources will be greatly reduced. The damage that we have caused to earth after the industrial revolution is huge and we will have to take action immediately if we want to keep the planet sustainable for our future generations. The biggest leap that mankind can take to prevent further damage is to start using alternative energy sources.
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Solar Energy
The solar power generation is done by using a series of photovoltaic cells where the solar rays are converted into electricity. Apart from electricity production solar energy is also being used for heating water, cooking food etc. Advantages of solar energy; – The source of energy is absolutely ‘free’. – Solar power which is generated in the day time can be stored to be made available in the night time as well. – Solar power generators can be used to generate power in rural and remote areas where there is no reach of the conventional form of energy. – Solar power generation is quite and absolutely clean. – Solar energy is a renewable form of energy will not deplete until thousands of years.
Wind Energy
The power of the wind is harnessed to propel the blades of wind turbine attached to an electric generator to generate wind energy. Wind energy is an effective alternative source of energy in areas where the velocity of wind flow is high. Advantages of wind energy – Wind energy is a clean form of energy. – The source of power generation i.e., wind is free of cost. – Wind energy is a renewable source of energy.
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Geothermal Energy
This is the energy tapped from the heat inside the earth. Hot rocks residing in the core of earth heat water which emits the surface of the earth with pressure and as steam. This pressurized steam can be used to run steam turbines to generate electricity. Advantages of geothermal energy – Similar to other alternative energy sources, geothermal energy source is free of cost. – With a proper power generation system in place, no harmful byproducts are produced.
Tidal Energy
The surface of earth is 71.11% covered by water bodies especially oceans. The tides in water rise and fall due to the gravity of sun and moon. Since we know about how the position of moon changes we can predict the rise and fall of tides. This rise and fall of tides can be utilized by setting up small dams and passing water through the turbines to generate power. Advantages of tidal energy – The source of power generation is free and renewable. – The power generated is clean and does not cause any pollution.
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Hydroelectric Energy
The potential energy stored in the water held in dams by is made to drive a water turbine and generator which in turn produces electric power. This form of energy generation is called hydroelectric power. Out of all the alternative energy sources, this one has been most commonly adopted in the current time.
Biomass Energy
This is the energy developed from the wastes of various human and animal activities like the by-products and wastes from timber industry, agricultural yields, municipal solid waste etc. Out of the many alternative sources of energy this is the one which takes into account the utilization of waste material to develop energy thereby disposing them off in a profitable and effective way.
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Challenges with using alternative energy sources As promising as the use of alternative sources of energy may sound, it is still under research as to how to tap energy from these resources in the most efficient and effective way. Although small power generation systems can be put in place but power production from these resources on a large scale is still a challenge. Can cities use 100% Renewable Energy?
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CASE STUDY 1: Rock Port, Missouri In 2008, Rock Port, a small farm town in northwest Missouri, became the first community in America to be powered entirely by wind energy. Four large wind turbines are connected to the power grid and provide Rock Port’s 1,300 residents with more electricity than they can use.
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CASE STUDY 2: Costa Rica 150 Days and Counting, Costa Rica gets all of its electricity from renewables
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CASE STUDY 3: The Itaipu Dam The Itaipu Dam’s hydroelectric power plant produced the most energy of any in the world as of 2016, setting a new world record of 103,098,366 megawatt hours (MWh), and surpassed the Three Gorges Dam plant in 2016 and 2015 in energy production. Completed in 1984, it is a binational undertaking run by Brazil and Paraguay at the border between the two countries.
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References
-http://aemstatic-ww1.azureedge.net/content/pe/en/articles/2014/09/montana-psc-approves-sale-of-hydroelectric-power-plant-for-900mn/_jcr_content/leftinheritedtop/image.img. jpg/1412093495228.jpg -https://media.istockphoto.com/vectors/renewable-energy-sources-infographic-vector -id502072950?k=6&m=502072950&s=612x612&w=0&h=Sma5hAYKR6l54QFLDOnJKX3VxqofP6VVxnUWcm4wC8Q= -https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/american-cities-powered-by-renewable-energy_ us_59ea2cbee4b0958c4681d32a -https://edgylabs.com/top-5-renewable-energy-cities -https://www.ecowatch.com/cities-commit-renewable-energy-2324917492.html -http://www.alternative-energy-tutorials.com/alternative-energy/alternative-energy-sources. html -https://www.conserve-energy-future.com/alternativeenergysources.php -http://alternativeenergysourcesv.com/