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Sustainable Power: A
War Between Eating and
Sustainable Power
countries corn is food, so is sugar cane. For the first world to
A War Between Eating And survive the t poorer countries must either starve in hunger or
Sustainable Power break their back working to be able to afford the price hikes of
Source: http://rev-u.com/sustainable-power/ the most basic of all commodities: food.
a_war_between_eating_and_sustainable_power.html
A Compromise
Today climate change is a reality that is acknowledge by even
the most doubtful of skeptics. The warmer temperatures in So what should we do? We need to address the problems of the
areas where its supposed to be cool, scorching summers, and environment and pollution, but it is also not right that to solve
bone chilling winter have become a pattern that people cannot a problem we must create one. Think about it if the agricultural
simply ignore. countries go into decline because its people can’t afford food
then who will till the land to supply the giants with endless bio-
What The War About? fuel?
Funny enough it seems that people are getting desperate and Sustainable energy is geared to sustain life, not make it
all are turning to bio-fuel like it’s the savior of all mankind. harder. A proposal is in order. Since the crops needed for the
So what is bio-fuel? Bio-fuel is any gaseous, solid, or liquid production of bio-fuel can only survive in tropical countries
material derived from biological materials. The argument then the governments of the more well off countries will have
ensues when people talk of the future. Bio-fuel’s raw materials to invest in the agricultural countries to supply their own
are usually agricultural crops that are made to undergo demand. These crops must be independent from those for local
fermentation and certain processes in order to produce bio- consumers. Stringent rules governing pricing and distribution
fuel. must be implemented to further protect the source of the
energy.
The Problem
Sustainable power means the world working hand in hand to
Who is the world’s largest oil consumer? Those with the create a better way of life for the future. The road to betterment
highest number of vehicles running their roads, countries is paved with hard work and dedication. The ancient Egyptian
like the US, England and generally most of the European used sails to go up and down the Nile; they were patient and
nations. When you think about it bio-fuel is made from corn, they reached their destination. Let us all be patient but diligent
sugarcane, palm oil, vegetable oil, and etc; where do these in our quest for sustainable power to sustain life.
agricultural crops come from? Third World Countries.
In Mexico they have this “tortilla crisis”. Corn which is the Dams A Source Of Sustainable
basic ingredient of tortilla is now sold five times the price it
used to be marketed for. The reason for the inflated prices? The Power
demand of bio-fuel in highly developed countries has severely Source: http://rev-u.com/sustainable-power/
altered the business people’s sense of profit. Why sell for a dams__a_source_of_sustainable_power.html
dollar when you can for 5 because the demand is now higher. Dams - A Source of Sustainable Power
Who Suffers? Dams have been around for a century now. Beavers used it,
although not for energy and now humans employ it as source
The first world countries will have to export goods from the for that ingredient in survival: power.
third world countries to fuel their increasing demand for
energy. The third world countries are usually tropical ones Hydroelectricity
located near the equator, hence a higher crop growth of corn,
and all those needed to manufacture bio-fuel; but for these
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July 24th, 2010 Published by: tiyarli
Hydropower generates hydroelectricity. It produces power out weigh the cons. The operating and maintenance cost of
with the help of gravity. It is the most common alternate a hydroplant is considerably cheaper than looking for fossil
source of energy. After the dam (called the hydroelectric fuel, drilling for it, and refining it to become oil. What’s more a
complex) is built the complex it produces no waste whatsoever. hydroelectric power plant cannot be affected and is not subject
Hydroelectric power comes from waters potential energy. to the rise and fall of fuel prices.
Imagine a glass bubble, and you’re in it. When the walls crack
water exerts pressure on that one whole until water comes Darkness Ahead The Quest
through that tiny gap. It’s the same thing with a dam. The
engineers collect the dam’s power by harnessing it with the
For Sustainable Power
Source: http://rev-u.com/sustainable-power/
use of a turbine which then connected to a generator. In this
darkness_ahead_the_quest_for_sustainable_power.html
matter the power extracted from the rushing water depends
on the amount of force the water exerts on the turbine and Darkness Ahead-The Quest For Sustainable Power
on the difference of the water’s average gravitational pull. The
difference between the height and the outflow is called the A looming danger is ahead, darkness everywhere, no
head electricity, no oil. What happens to us when oil runs out? Can
you imagine nothing to fuel our cars, airplanes, tractors, a
The amount of the water’s potential energy depends on how decline in farming, a decline in food production? The future
high the dam is from its outflow. Dams help cities by supplying seems gloom, everybody’s predicting that humanity itself will
energy during extremely high demand times and during off fall into decline. The richer countries siphoning of crops
peak the turbines pump water into higher reservoirs so that from third world countries to create bio-fuel; the third world
when electricity consumption is high again. countries slowly fading in hunger. We need to find sustainable
power and we need it fast; our very existence depends upon it.
Where Is The Power Supplied
Solar Power
Most hydroelectric power plants supply public entities; there
are some which are funded by industrial companies for their When we think of alternative energy resources, solar power
specific use. Such industries like aluminum electrolytic plants immediately comes to mind. Evidently when we talk of solar
build there own hydroelectric power plants due to their high power, we speak of harnessing the suns god given energy.
energy consumption. In fact the world’s largest dam the Coulee This solar energy is transformed into electric current with
Dam, located in Bellingham Washington was switched to the use of photovoltaics, concentrating solar power and other
support Alcoa Aluminum plant, which at the time was the various technologies which are currently in the developmental
largest supplier of materials for war planes; afterwards though and experimental stage. Solar energy works well for domestic
it was used for public electricity and as a source for irrigation. electricity supply.
There are also small scale hydroelectric power plants, most Wind Power
of them are located in north America. A plant is classified as
small scale when it only produces 10- 30 megawatts. These Employed for ages with remnants of its bygone past still
power sources are usually connected to power grids to supply evident in Northwestern Europe, the Wind Mill is making a
energy to small isolated communities or even to a single family come back. The best thing about the power of the wind is that
home. In China small hydro schemes are very popular due to it can never be depleted. It is natural, all around us and all we
a high number of factories wishing to have their own supply have to do is construct wind farms and then everything’s done.
of electricity. Economically utilizing the power of the wind makes sense. It
literally has no maintenance and overhead costs.
Other Common Water Energy Sources
Tropical countries use hydroelectricity as their source of
Other common hydro resources are rivers, the ocean, power, using the waters gravitational force which comes from
waterfalls and even ponds or lakes. Rivers power plants where a high source. This is a great alternative for energy, it is
in no reservoir can be built are called run-of-the-river-, while a whole lot cheaper and it is environmentally safe because
the ocean is put into good use because of the tides. A tidal hydroelectric plants do not emit dangerous substances in the
power plant harnesses the energy of the coming and the going air nor the waters. It is pure nature. Fossil fuel driven power
of the tides. Uncommon but never the less employed are plants emit dangerous gases into the air while plants that
kinetic energy water plants. are hydroelectrically driven are proven to emit a much lesser
degree of greenhouse grass.
Why It Makes Sense
Nuclear Energy
Economically the use of hydropower is cost effective because
our primary source the fossil fuel is expensive and slowly Another source of alternative energy is nuclear energy.
getting used up. Water is of the abundance and most of the Nuclear energy together with other kinds of nuclear
time it is free. Granted that dams and other hydroelectric technology can harness energy. Nuclear reactors can generate
power plants are quite expensive to build, but the pros far steam energy by heating the water thus converting water into
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July 24th, 2010 Published by: tiyarli
steam and then converting the steam into electricity. Nuclear
energy are widely used in vessels and ships from all over the Sustainable Power Resources
world.
We are not here to discuss political and personal issues. We
Geothermal Power are here to point out that there are other faces to this scenario.
Yes, America is one of the world’s largest energy consumer,
Geothermal power is the heat that is being amassed down but America also has the largest alternative energy resources
below from the earth’s surface. This is another way of making in the World
conventional power than that of fossil driven plants which is
very much costly. This power is much feasible and also another Geothermal, Hydro, Wind and etc
environmental friendly alternative source of power driven by
nature itself. The United States of America is considered as the world’s
greatest geothermal energy producer. The Geysers located just
One big geothermal plant can power up to one whole urban north of San Francisco was the planet’s first and largest dry
community, supplying all the power it needs while a small steam field. The amazing thing about these power plants (since
geothermal plant can power up a small village and small there are several) is that sewage waste from surrounding cities
buildings. One good thing about natural sources such as this are pumped into the geothermal plant in order to replenish
one is that a geothermal power plant does not harm the air the supply of steam needed for energy production. States such
or the ozone layer because they do not emit poisonous gasses as Nevada, Oregon, Idaho, Arizona, Utah among others have
while in operation. their own geothermal plants.
Using any of these alternative power sources can help us and Considered the fourth country with the largest hydropower
the earth as well. It is cost effective and they are much less capacity, the Americas revolutionized hydropower by building
harmful to the earth. Using bio-fuel and using alternative numerous dams in highly calculated areas all over the US.
power sources can be a way to save the earth and this is the Perhaps the most popular is the Hoover Dam. At the time it
future of our world. was fully operational Hoover Dam was said to be the world’s
largest electricity generating hydropower plant. Located on
the cusp of Nevada and Arizona, the Hoover dam supplies
Its Not All About The Oil electricity to the states of Nevada, Arizona and most of
America Has Sustainable Southern California.
Since bio fuel maybe gaseous, liquid or solid fuel other With so much talk about environmental damage, dwindling
categories also apply. Way up in Tibetan mountains biofuel fossil fuels, and sky rocketing oil and energy prices it is now
have been in use for hundreds of years. Tibetans use manure clear that we must look for alternative energy resources that
from their goats, donkeys, horses and cows as a substitute for will be able to supply our endless needs without the possibility
wood. Animal waste are common pollutants, converting it into of it being exhausted.
useful energy helps eliminate its negative effects.
A Brief Lesson in History
Biowaste
A sustainable energy source since ancient times, the power
Other alternative fuel resources are used oils. People eat, and of the wind has been harnessed by sailors, farmer, and
thousands and millions of gallons of used oils are thrown architects alike. In times long gone, from 5,000 years ago
down the drain which leads to rivers and oceans. Oil does and rediscovered again today the Egyptians used wind power
not decompose ergo recycling and converting it into biofuel to propel their sailing vessels, and Babylonian architects use
is in order. In addition, landfills maybe of some use after all. architectural designs to make use of the wind to ventilate their
Landfills emanates polluting gas which contain methane, a palace and temple complexes.
combustible gas which is the primary content of the gas we use
for cooking, and heat. As early as 300 B.C. the Sinhalese bygones used monsoon
winds to power their furnaces. Constructed right where
Liquid biofuels are getting generous media attention because monsoon winds pass the furnaces were powered up to 1100 to
of the worsening air conditions in severely populated areas. 1200 centigrade. In the 1st century AD the first ever primitively
Cars produce almost 60% of our air pollution. Vehicles need built windmill was used to power an organ. Later during the
highly combustible energy so that it will function. Liquids and 7th century the first and most primary windmill was built in
gases are easier to handle because it can be contained and Afghanistan in a small town called Sistan. The Windmill has a
pumped, so handling is less expensive. vertical axle with blades shaped like a rectangle and with a long
driveshaft. In the 1100’s wind mills were built to grind flour,
Biofuel And Cars for sugar manufacturing and the gristmilling industries. The
Dutch built windmills that stand until this day.
There are two types of biofuels that maybe used in cars:
biodiesel and bioethanol. Biofuel is very popular in Europe. In Beneath Power Is Wind
that part of the world most car manufacturers make vehicles
with diesel engines, so using biodiesel instead of pure diesel is The Sun unevenly heats the Earth that differences of heat
a relatively easy transition. If a car is unmodified owners may distribution; the poles receive less than the equators do. Unlike
blend up to 20% biodiesel with regular diesel. Biodiesel comes the land, the oceans, seas and rivers do not have covering so
from fats and used oils, these by products are the processed it retains more heat than soil. This contrast results in a global
through what’s transesterification. Transestirification is a atmospheric convection that reaches from the stratosphere
chemical reaction produced by adding an acid base to the fats. and into the earth’s surface. Energy in these wind movements
The result is biodiesel. are stored at high altitudes where in the wind can achieve
speeds up to 160km/hr. Here after with the effects of friction
Bioalcohol is produced when starch, sugar and cellulose are the wind’s energy is diffused into heat throughout the planet
fermented. The results are three popular types of alcohols: and its atmosphere. This vast amount of sustainable power can
ethanol, butanol and propanol. Among the three it is argued provide us unimaginable amounts of energy, far more than we
that either ethanol or biobutanol maybe used in gasoline currently consume.
running cars, but it seems that biobutanol won the bid because
it now called biogasoline. Biogasoline is formed by acetone, Wind Speed Distribution
butanol, and ethanol fermentation and through scientific
modifications. Wind varies in strength. The average value of a certain
location does not specify the energy of a single wind turbine.
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July 24th, 2010 Published by: tiyarli
The wind speed’s frequency can be assessed in a particular
location, they are fitted by a probable distribution function Active Solar Technologies use solar (photovoltaic) panels,
to the particular observed data. Different wind distributions combined with solar thermal collectors, and then channeled
varies from different locations, hourly wind speeds at different thru mechanical or electrical equipment. Passive solar
locations are being monitored by the Rayleigh model, which technology is merely a technique in order to capture the suns
basically means a continuous probability distribution which useful rays; for example a skylight.
was named after Lord Rayleigh.
Electricity From The Sun
Electrical Generation
We are all familiar with the term “solar panel”; solar panels
Using the power of electricity from a wind farm is usually convert the heat from the sun into actual electrical current with
fed through a network of electrical power transmissions. the use of what is called the photoelectric effect. Concentrated
This is done by connecting the individual turbines with a solar power produces insurmountable energy. In fact it was
medium voltage power system and a series of communications greatly utilized during the time of the Ancient Chinese
networks. The electrical current is then increased with a Civilization.
transformer to be able to connect to the high voltage
transmitting system. System operators supplies the wind farm To concentrate the power of the sun, a series of mirrors and
owner with a code that indicates requirements to be able to lenses are used in order to focus the light in one area thereby
connect to the transmission grid which includes the power producing a single beam. There are a lot of technological
factor, the constancy of the frequency and the behavior of the advances out there that concentrates solar energy in order to
wind turbines when experiencing system faults. produce a concentrated amount of power they are: the solar
power tower, the parabolic dish and the solar trough.
Now that we know that the speed of wind is not constant, a
farm’s energy production is not as much as the sum of the Dilemma, Solution, And Economics.
nameplate rating being multiplied by the year’s total hours
being used. The ratio of this productivity in a whole year is The primary concern of the use of solar energy as a sustainable
called the capacity factor. This is the ratio of productivity in a power is that there is no sun during the night. Modern times
year to this theoretical maximum. require continuous supply that is why storing solar energy is a
key component of solar technology. Thermal storage systems
can store solar energy. Newer scientific discoveries also paved
Solar Energy A Sustainable the way for thermal mass storage systems which vary storage
Power Is Harnessed capacity and function by storing more energy during off peak
times and varying supply at peak consumption hours.
Source: http://rev-u.com/sustainable-power/
solar_energy__a_sustainable_power_is_harnessed.html
It usually takes a crisis for people to actually look at
Solar Energy - A Sustainable Power Is Harnessed possibilities, and like with almost everything else solar energy
began getting attention after the 1979 oil crisis and the 1973
Since ancient times the sun was considered as a source of oil embargo. In fact solar technology began its appearance in
energy: spiritual and other wise. It is so sad to find out that in the 18 hundreds. IN the past solar energy as a sustainable
fact only 10% of solar energy is actually used. Perhaps if we are power was a dream but cannot be realized due to expensive
more aware of its use and its capacity as a sustainable power technology needed to use it.
then maybe we will be able to use and promote solar power.
Today, with the rising costs of electricity, the volatile oil
The Beginning of All Things prices, and its degenerating source have paved the way for
solar energy once more. The consciousness environmental
Unbeknownst to a lot of people, solar energy actually is the welfare has prompted companies to manufacture affordable
source of numerous sustainable powers like radiation, waves solar technologies and sell it commercial. Indeed it is a fact
and wind. Solar energy has many usage it can give us light, that solar technology is expensive but it is only in the purchase
heat, promote cooling, it can be harnessed through technology of the machines needed in the long run if you calculate it, you
to power many things like for machines cooking, distillation, are actually getting a bargain.
hot water, and disinfection.
Power Source
Techno Speak