Renewable energy sources could be used to generate much
more electricity then they are currently being used to do.
And while the climate is becoming more and more favorable
(not to mention necessary) for engineers, scientists, farmers,
architects and urban/industrial designers to create renewable
energy solutions, it is also up to governments to assert
increased support for renewable energy initiatives, create
sustainable local and national energy policies and stop relying
on oil and coal as primary energy resources. More
importantly, it takes the general public and business culture
to support and actively push for changes in their country
or region’s energy policies.
The good news is that change is occurring. According to
a survey released this June, 88% percent of Americans believe
it is somewhat or very important for the U.S. to reduce its
reliance on imported oil. The Rasmussen Reports survey - http://www.rasmussenreports.com/2005/Energy.htm -
found that most Americans are optimistic about the possibility
of alternative energy sources, with two-thirds (66%) of Americans
saying that developing new energy sources is more important
than conserving energy.
A separate survey by the same pollster found that 49% of
Americans believe that if oil prices remain high, alternative
energy sources will be produced to reduce consumer costs.
Like most countries, US subsidies are being used to fuel
growth in alternative energy industries. The federal government
offers tax credits for wind, solar and other renewable energy
soures and, so far, 19 states require that a percentage of
energy comes from green sources. This past month the US senate
passed an energy bill that will double the use of corn-blended
ethanol – a form of biofuel - by 2012 and offer $16
billion in tax breaks and incentives to boost domestic production.
“This final passage vote is one further step toward
a national energy policy,” Majority Leader Bill Frist
said.
Meanwhile, the rest of the world continues to pursue different
options, the primary focus being on solar, tidal and wind
technologies.
A revolutionizing idea regarding how we use energy sources
is the move away from large, central plants to decentralized
sources of power - like tidal, wind, solar and biofuel production
facilities – which will ultimately place more responsibility
on power generation at a community planning level. Europe
leads the renewable energy revolution in this respect. The
British government, for example, is in the consulting stage
of how to make homes capable of generating their own power
by wind or solar energy and sell the surplus.
“Power generation has traditionally been about giant
stations supplying whole cities, but the future may show
that small is big,” Energy minister Malcolm Wicks said
at a recent Renewable Power Association (RPA) conference.
In 2003, US and Canadian participants of The Great Plains
Institute toured Denmark, Germany and the Netherlands to
view how renewable energy policies and investments work effectively
as an economic engine that can drive smaller communities
and regions.
What they discovered is that bold renewable energy targets
and favorable tax policies towards energy production have
propelled Denmark and Germany into world-leadership positions
in the renewable power industry – an industry which
generates jobs and profit.
Farmers in Rodding, Denmark, for example, jointly own a biogas
plant and supply its manure feedstock to produce methane.
This process produces power and yields fertilizer that
is returned to farms in the area. The energy sold by the
biogas production facility more than covers the operating
cost, and delegates in the tour were impressed at how this
local solution for excess livestock manure is able to generate
economic value by producing electricity, heat energy and
fertilizer.
A similar initiative is happening in Australia, where scientists
recently created an electrical generator fuelled by decomposing
bananas. The generator was created at the request of Australian
banana growers seeking solutions to make use of their waste
bananas. Plans for a full-scale power station are currently
underway.
Biofuel – which covers about 15% of the world’s
energy consumption - is any fuel derived from recently living
organisms and their byproducts, such as fruit and pulp waste
and manure from cows. Waste from industry, agriculture, forestry
and households can be used for the production of bioenergy.
The fuel - which can be used for the production of electricity
and heat - is created by burning the waste to release its
stored chemical energy.
As Andrew Pape-Salmon, Senior Policy Advisor on energy efficiency
with the Ministry of Energy and Mines Government of BC, writes:
“ Every wood residue burner next to a sawmill, every sewage
treatment plant or solid waste landfill represents an untapped
biomass energy opportunity. If coupled with a community
energy system that distributes heating and cooling services to multiple
facilities, these resources could provide for virtually
all energy needs of nearby neighborhoods or industries.”
In Europe, Sweden and Finland supply 17% and 19% respectively,
of their energy needs with bioenergy. Countries like
Brazil use renewable ethanol energy from sugar cane and other
products for about one quarter of their energy needs.
In the Philippines,
the government is working on convincing motorists to
mix biodegradable diesel fuel extracted from coconut oil. Coconut
oil is the Philippines’ top farm-product export.
Biofuel is a versatile and inexhaustible resource. We
will always continue to produce waste, why not transform
it
to fuel?
Other renewable resources - solar, tidal and wind – function
differently. These diverse energy resources require the extraction
of energy from moving water, the sun, winds and thermal storage
in the earth’s surface, the earth’s core
and tides.
Tidal Power
The generation of electricity from ocean tides is an energy
option enjoying renewed interest across North America and
Europe, and new advances in tidal technology are poised
to revolutionize ocean energy. Tidal turbines are already
being tested in pilot projects off England, Italy and the
United States. These turbines are like land-based windmills
turned upside down and dropped in the water.
In Canada, the province of New Brunswick has committed to
ensuring that 33% of the Maritime province's energy mix comes
from green sources by 2016.
The province will generate this power from the Bay of Fundy,
which hosts tides that are among the highest and most powerful
in the world.
The Electric Power Research Institute, an independent, non-profit
centre based in California, is undertaking this study on
tidal power, and is working with the governments of Nova
Scotia, New Brunswick, Maine, Massachusetts, Alaska, Washington
and California – all coastal states who are seeking
to capitalize on their resources.
Harnessing the power of the tides has been the subject of
experiments, small projects and big dreams for years. In
fact, US President John F. Kennedy was working a major US
and Canadian tidal power project for Passamaquoddy Bay, between
New Brunswick and Maine before he was assassinated.
Editor's Note: Part II of this series will focus on Solar
and Wind Technologies.
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