Way Out Alternative Energy Sources

When we think of viable alternative energy sources, we think of solar energy, wind power and even wave power. But have you ever considered the possibility of making energy out of old pills, used diapers and molten salt? Alternative energy from garbage and molten salt sources is no longer stuff of fiction; it has successfully been tried and tested.

Alternative energy prevents waste and emissions

Since companies in the UK have to comply with commercial EPC regulations, alternative energy is not only for bunny huggers; everyone can benefit from producing energy from new sources. The energy needed to power our daily activities can be transferred from almost anything. We are sitting with all this potential energy but without the means to tap into it.

Some innovative scientists and inventors have found ways to convert waste, which is usually difficult to dispose of, into energy and this gives us the possibility of killing two birds with one stone. Not only does this lessen the risk of chemical leakage into water tables and reduces landfill problems, but it also takes the strain off our stocks of fossil fuels and oil.

Use an energy pill

Medication seems one of the most unlikely sources of alternative energy. Expired medication is notoriously difficult to get rid of. If people flush their medication down the toilet, it becomes part of the water system, and if it's thrown away as landfill, the potentially harmful chemicals seep into the soil and eventually water tables. Governments are becoming increasingly concerned about pharmaceutical water pollution, as scientists have found high levels of many drugs in water sources. Some of these are hormone pills, which can cause cancers and animal mutations.

A company in the USA that specialises in the disposal of expired medications sends expired drugs to an energy company that converts waste products into energy. Six and a half million pounds of pills were disposed of in 2006, producing enough energy to power hundreds of homes for over a year.

Fill up the tank with dirty diapers

Another alternative energy company was looking for waste sources that are consistently produced to make diesel fuel from. The answer came in the form of used diapers. The company now transforms 30, 000 tons of diapers into 10, 000 tons of diesel fuel at 50 US cents per liter in a low-emission closed system.

Molten salt versus fossil fuel

We've already looked to the elements, the air, sun and water, for alternative energy sources but a rocket building company and solar energy company in North America thought out of the box and came up with a method of making energy out of molten salt.

Molten salt has commonly been used to make alloys, but analysts say that the idea of combining solar power and molten salts is promising. Solar power is collected by tilting mirrors that direct it onto the molten salt, which is then heated up to over 1000 degrees Fahrenheit; the steam produced is used to drive a turbine. The molten salt can be reused to repeat the process and no emissions are produced.

Drive with drink

Thousands of bottles of smuggled alcohol are confiscated in Sweden each year, and authorities have come up with a brilliant alternative energy use for it - by using alcoholic cocktails as the biogas source to power cars and buses. It seems like a noble use for the large quantity of hard liquor produced for consumption each year.

Alternative energy sources give us a way out of the oil crisis and let us feel all warm and fuzzy inside about saving the environment with renewable energy. However, at the moment, it's difficult to make alternative energy resources accessible to everyone, as new energy systems are expensive to produce.

Nuclear cemetery

As in any process of obtaining energy, it is necessary to use materials that provide a physical and chemical reaction whose energy is then captured by various technologies to generate electricity, and in the case of the Nuclear reactors, generates a large amount of waste that are obviously harmful if that does not properly kept.

Those considered as radioactive waste are usually a group of radioisotopes, elements whose main characteristic is to emit ionizing radiation, that can naturally cause damage to human health and the environment, taking different types and levels of radiation which vary in the periods:

Low activity waste:They are generated by hospitals and industry in general, including also the processing of Nuclear fuel, containing small amounts of radiation of short duration (with a period of 30 years semi-desintegración)Middle activity waste: even though its name suggests not, these wastes contain higher amounts of radioactivity, in some cases requiring a Special protection for storageincluded in this group to the mud, resins and chemicals used in the Nuclear Reactor, so much so as contaminated materials from decommissioning. While having a same period of semi-desintegración of low activity, required to be solidified in concrete or tarWaste of high activity: are those from the operation of the Nuclear reactors, containing by-products of Nuclear fission and the Transuranium elements that are generated at the core of it, being highly radioactive and even possessing high temperature directly.

These residues are derived from 95% of the total radioactivity produced in the process of Nuclear electricity, widely exceeding 30 years for his semi-desintegración.
Among these, stands out the plutonium 240, with 6,600 years; and neptunium 237, with a half-life of 2.130.000 years

As they must assume, each group of nuclear waste will require storage identified for disposal, so tend to locate in the colloquially known as Nuclear cemeteries, which include sites which are carefully kept these materials, previously conditioned according to the type of waste.

Warehouses of low activity: are located on the surface or very shallow, being mainly chosen the Minas Abandonadas, with various barriers and using geologically stable and impervious areas, with all possible security measures.Temporary warehouse: waste of High activity, being used for treatment or recycling of the same, or to achieve their correct isolation, prior to disposal, but they also tend to host materials for less than 100 years.Geological storage: also known as Deep geological storage (AGP) is used to store waste of high activity and deadlines over a thousand years, although they are still in development because of its complexity.Storage submarine: instead of storing beneath the Earth, in this case exploits the Ocean floor, more precisely in the oceanic trenches, where discharges of these materials are carried out from the year 1950.

Photosynthesis, as it occurs?

Plants, algae and some microorganisms are phototrophs agencies because they capture light energy and used in the synthesis of carbohydrate such as glucose (formed from water and carbon dioxide). Photosynthesis is the process by which plants produce their food.

To perform photosynthesis plants need several items found in the environment.

Light energy: impacts on leaves and is absorbed by the photosensitive pigment of the plant, the chlorophyll.

Water: Photosynthesis requires a constant supply of water. It reaches the leaves through roots and stems.

Chlorophyll: Pigment green in the chloroplast. He is responsible for the absorption of light, to carry out photosynthesis.

Carbon dioxide: is absorbed by a few tiny pores called stomataon the lower part of the leaf.

Oxygen: byproduct of photosynthesis. Leaves leaves outward through the stomata.

Glucose, one of the foods they produce these agencies It is synthesized from carbon dioxide and water taken from the environment. Light energy triggers the entire process and oxygen is a waste that is released to the environment.

So the light energy can be used by plants, it must first be absorbed by them. Let's see how this happens.

On every floor we find plant pigments. Its function is absorb certain wavelengths of light, and - in his time - reflect others. The chlorophyll is one of the main pigments possessing plant. The chlorophyll absorbs light wavelengths corresponding to the violet colors, blue and red and reflects that correspond to the green. For this reason, many plants are green.

The plants have different types of chlorophyll. The chlorophyll to is the pigment that participates in the synthesis of food. Chlorophyll b and another group of pigments called carotenoids absorb wavelengths different from which absorbs the chlorophyll. These two pigments transferred power to the chlorophyll to. This phenomenon spans the spectrum of light available for photosynthesis.

The chlorophyll is found in distinct organelles in plant cells called chloroplasts, where photosynthesisoccurs. Each chloroplast there are a number of membranes containing photosynthetic pigments, the thylakoids.

In plants, the photosynthetic process occurs in two stages:

The slope of the light stage, pigments absorb wavelengths that "break" or break down molecules of water (H2O) which the vegetable incorporates the foreign environment. This stage are ion hydrogen (H +), participating in the next stage, and oxygen (O2) which is released into the environment as waste. Stage not slope of light, carbon dioxide (CO2) that the vegetable incorporates the external environment is combined with the resulting hydrogen (H +) ions in the previous stage. In this process energyis used, i.e. is an anabólica reaction and its product is glucose, a carbohydrate that stores the energy necessary for the life of plants.

Alternative energy for the Betterment of Earth technologies

Sources of fossil fuels are declining day by day. In addition, the burning of fossil fuels causes many harmful effects on the environment. Unfortunately we can not avoid any of these situations.

The only way out is if totally rid of the use of fossil fuels and use alternatives. There are many alternative energy technologies that will reduce our dependence on fossil fuels.

Solar energy is a great alternative to fossil fuels, as most of the energy comes from the Sun's rays. Windmills also produce energy, referred to as wind power.

A third, but less well known typeface, offshore energy, generated with the help of the waves and water currents.

These three alternative energy technologies are at the top of the list and have great potential in the future. There are many other available alternatives, but which are not yet in general use.

Solar, wind and sea powers are the natural resources that can generate huge amounts of energy.

Solar energy:

These days the solar energy is the superior alternative energy technology and is used more.

Although for many years people have been aware of the fact that the Sun can generate electricity, due to the inexpensiveness and the abundance of fossil fuels, they become more popular and usable.

Through the use of the rays of the Sun with the help of the latest technologies, we can generate incredible amounts of energy. Around the world, people use solar energy to heat water for bathing and heating swimming pools.

Solar energy is a natural source of energy that provides hot water and electricity. It is also a cheap way to get energy.

Install this technology now is a good idea as solar collectors is more expensive in the future with increases in the prices of electricity, fossil fuels more scarce.

The most beneficial aspect of alternative energy technologies is not only they are harmless for the environment but also sustainable. If the Sun is there, the solar energy will be there.

Wind energy:

A technology of proven and additional alternative energy is wind power. Windmills have been in use for many years for grinding grain and pumping water. These were used to generate energy in European countries during the late 19th century.

Many researchers agree that wind energy is among the best energy alternatives. Worldwide there are many wind farms that use alternative technologies for energy generation.

Wind technology works with the help of a rotor attached three modules. As the wind blows, these three modules begin to spin the rotor. Finally the result in the generation of energy.

It's a very simple method to understand. Make use of this technology, the wind is the most important factor.

In many parts of the world there is not enough wind. But this alternative technology can be used in places like Wales in United Kingdom and Dakota North on United States, as well as off-shore in the oceans.

Offshore energy:

Research is ongoing on the use of the offshore as an alternative energy technology. However, more research is needed to fully understand this technology before recommending a solution of alternative energy.

As solar and wind energy, offshore energy will take some time to gain acceptance as a reliable alternative energy technology.

Alternative Energy Usage in Ireland

Ireland is pursuing energy independence by trying to develop to a larger extent the usage of alternative energy; one must take into consideration the fact that Ireland benefits from a robust economy, allowing it to research and develop resource encompassing alternative energies. During modern days, almost ninety percent of the energy needs are accomplished by importation, from the energy that has become imported.

This makes Ireland extremely dependent on energetic supplies coming from foreign locations. It should come as no surprise that Ireland wants to get over this dependency and start producing energy of its own. Therefore, it is only natural that institutions and the government start thinking about alternative resources as a way to produce the energy the population needs. The EU has in fact implemented some regulations regarding reduction in emissions of harmful substance and gases in the air, including regulations on sulphuric oxide and nitric oxide.

Green energy has become therefore the one thing the EU strives to accomplish throughout all the member states. Hydroelectric power is now utilized in some areas inside Ireland for quite a long period of time and has so far, proved to be very effective in producing energy, by capturing the energy of the waves from Atlantic Ocean, which is on the western part of Ireland. This energy supply is now capable of producing the energy supply needed by the whole country.

As a matter of fact, in the future, Ireland may even become energy exporter, granted the fact that it can now exploit the very few natural resources it has for its own benefit. The energy potential is constituted in the fact that throughout the whole Ireland, big winds blow, there is close proximity to the ocean and one can derive energy from biomass resources. It could for instance, supply energy to the rest of Europe, energy produced from ocean waves and biomass fuels. For the moment, Ireland has concentrated its efforts in obtaining the fifteen percent barrier, that is, produce fifteen percent of the energy needed by the population through wind farms. This is in fact, a governmental objective for 2010. Not only the government, but also institutions and research institutes are combining efforts to be able to discover the ways Ireland can reduce its reliance on foreign produced energy.

Researchers are now studying the fields of the ocean wave energy so that the energy produced can cover much of the necessary amounts for the population. A test site designed for alternative energy has been created in Ireland, on the western coast, to better study ocean energy. The experimental site, also known as "Wavebob" helps researchers study on the spot the most efficient ways they could use ocean waves to produce energy. Judging by the efforts made leading to discovery, one can say that in the future, Ireland can become the market leader in the sector. Analysts believe that wave energy possesses the potential to change and that renewable energy may become the norm; if this is accomplished, then Ireland wouldn't have to depend anymore on the energy provided by others and could thus reduce the consumption of fossil fuels.

Many people believe that since the industry dealing with sugar beet has been shut down, this means that there is more Irish land available to use to construct alternative energy power plant, including plants designed for bioenergy production. Since renewable energy is now catering for only two percent of the energy consumed in Ireland, it is imperative to come up with a solution or solutions that will resolve the problem to a large extent. Biomass energies are fit to be fully exploited, because the answer lies in not using conventional methods of producing energies and adapting existing equipment in order to produce energy from other resources.

US Virgin Islands Launches 15-Year Energy Initiative to Reduce Fossil Fuel Use 60%

Targeting new, emerging technologies in locations and environments where they can make the greatest impact makes a lot of sense, and when it comes to renewable energy, island communities, cities, and states fit the bill. A clean, renewable energy movement is afoot in Hawai’i, where proponents are laying out a path to a 100% renewable energy future. A similar initiative is underway in the US Virgin Islands.

Like Hawai’i, the USVI — at great and increasing costs — depends on oil imports to produce most of its electricity, nearly 100% of it in the case of the USVI. As a result, the Caribbean island territory’s 110,000 residents pay some $0.47 per kilowatt-hour (kWh) for electricity — some 4-5x more than consumers in the continental US. USVI residents also depend on foreign oil to produce freshwater via seawater desalination.

USVI Governor John P. de Jongh Jr. and his administration are trying to change all that. Working with the DOE’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) and the Interior Dept., de Jongh has crafted a planning framework, the goal of which is to reduce fossil fuel use on the islands by 60% in the next 15 years.

Meeting a Long-term Challenge: The Rewards of Reducing Fossil Fuel Use

The USVI depends on tourism for some 80% of its economic activity. Tourists from other climates tend to really like their a/c. That makes reducing fossil fuel usage even more of a challenge, one that requires active support and participation all along the electricity production and consumption value chain — from consumers to power producers. Not the least among them is efficiently integrating a mix of intermittent, renewable energy resources into the grid and assuring a ready supply of high-quality electrical power. Another key aspect of achieving the program’s aims is winning lasting support from the islands’ residents and businesses.

The rewards are numerous, substantial, and lasting, however. Success in the USVI would not only yield multiple, long-term benefits economically, socially, and environmentally, but it would also lead to replicating the means and methods in the continental US.

“What we’re attempting to do is integrate every large portion of renewable energy into our system,” said Karl Knight, director of USVI’s Energy Office and a board member of the Virgin Islands Water and Power Authority, in an NREL press release. “Think of it as a pilot for how to integrate renewables as a large proportion of the grid.”

NREL has worked with USVI government, utilities, and public and private groups to map the island territory’s renewable energy potential in order to craft a workable plan that would result in renewable energy resources meeting its electricity needs by 2025. The plan calls for building out a mix of six different technologies. By far, the single largest source of potential fossil fuel reduction will come from another source, however — energy efficiency improvements.

The high cost of using oil to produce electricity and freshwater has put increasing strain on residents’ pocketbooks, low-income residents, and retirees, in particular. Their reduced personal income and spending has also constrained economic development.

“If the rate is going to be 40 cents a kilowatt hour or more, it shapes the type of business that’s willing to locate in the Virgin Islands,” Knight elaborated. “Our total dependence on oil for power generation in an era of expensive crude oil is having a huge impact.”

USVI’s Fossil Fuel Reduction Plan: Energy Efficiency and a Mix of Renewable Energy Resources

The USVI burns 2.6 million barrels of oil every year to generate electricity and desalinate seawater. Reducing this 60% by 2025 can be achieved by the following mix of renewable energy and energy efficiency improvements, according to the USVI-NREL plan:

“We think 60 percent is very realistic,” Knight said. “The government established that goal in collaboration with NREL and the Island Nations global partnership. They challenged Gov. de Jongh to be aggressive in his goal-setting and he took them up on it. We established the aggressive goal because we spend so much on energy. The only thing that people in the Virgin Islands talk about is the size of their electric bills.”

Improving the energy efficiency of the USVI electric utility is the most cost-effective, “low-hanging fruit” that should be taken advantage of, explained NREL’s Karen Petersen. Other measures that “will help immensely” are as simple as turning off lights in buildings and lowering the air conditioning in tourist hotels. “We’re working to create a whole cultural shift,” Petersen said. “They’re very conservative in their use of energy because of need, but it doesn’t necessarily revolve around an environmental ethic.”

UK & France in major nuclear reactor deal

UK Prime Minister Cameron deals directly with French President Sarkozy
EDF, Rolls Royce, and Areva will benefit

Two French nuclear giants, EDF and Areva, and Rolls-Royce, the flagship nuclear firm in the UK, are signing deals worth {l}500 million ($791 million) to build new nuclear reactors in the UK. (EDF press release)

The deals are focused on the first new build at Hinkley Point in the UK. EDF has referenced the 1600 MW Areva EPR reactor design for that site.

The UK government said in a statement the deal will create 1500 new jobs. The statement went on to point out the agreement advances greenhouse gas emission reduction goals.

The British prime minister, David Cameron, who is in Paris to meet the French president, Nicolas Sarkozy, to seal the deal, said the agreements were “just the beginning” of investment the government says could be worth £60 billion and create 30,000 jobs.

The government said the joint declaration to be signed today will signal “our shared commitment to the future of civil nuclear power, setting out a shared long term vision of safe, secure, sustainable and affordable energy, that supports growth and helps to deliver our emission reductions targets”.

The two governments will work together with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) “to strengthen international capability to react to nuclear emergencies and establish a joint framework for cooperation and exchanging good practice on civil nuclear security”.

The announcement comes just eight months after the Fukushima nuclear reactor crisis. It demonstrates the commitment of the two nations to use nuclear energy to address their needs for electricity. The UK government has identified eight sites for new reactors. (see table below)

Deal highlights

NucNet reports that highlights of the deal include;

• A £100 million contract with a construction consortium to prepare the Hinkley Point nuclear site in Somerset for construction of two European Pressurised Water Reactors (EPRs).

• A £15 million training campus at Bridgewater in Somerset to train the next generation of nuclear workers.

• A deal with Rolls Royce for key components that could be worth potentially up to £400 million. Rolls Royce plans to build a purpose-built factory in Rotherham, northern England, which is also the site of the Nuclear Advanced Manufacturing Research Centre, which helps firms become certified nuclear suppliers.

A Rolls Royce spokesman said the hope is that the factory will become “some sort of springboard” for nuclear export orders in future.

A key isue facing EDF and the other firms planning to build nuclear power plants in the UK is that they are merchants. They cannot recover construction costs until the plants enter revenue service.

Challenges ahead

A nuclear energy expert with experience in the UK told this blog the current UK government was elected with a strong pledge to not subsidize new nuclear.

In summary the expert said the UK government has developed a set of incentives as a part of a wider Electricity Market Reform. In August 2011, the basic principles of the reforms were approved, with carbon floor prices, low-carbon, base load generation, etc.

But the second important stage, setting carbon prices, has not taken place. The government now says it will release that information in May 2012.

The delay adds a factor of uncertainty to the futue of the UK new build. Natural gas prices will rise over time so that may be less of a factor by the time the reactors come online by the end of this decade.

Scope of the UK new build

In November 2011 EDF Energy applied for consent from the UK’s Infrastructure Planning Commission to build and operate two new nuclear reactor units at Hinkley Point. The France-based utility plans to construct the two EPRs to the west of its existing Hinkley Point B nuclear plant, where there are two units in commercial operation.