Why Choose Renewable Sources?
The demand for energy is escalating on a daily basis. Thus, with this rate of energy consumption, it is estimated that the reserves of oil, natural gas and uranium would be completely exhausted by the year 2050. It takes millions of years for these sources to accumulate in the earth crust, thus the need for new energy sources is imperative. This is where renewable resources step in. Besides being sustainable, renewable energy sources are also eco-friendly. This is because fuels aren't burned, so there is no chance of harmful green house gases being released.
Moreover, the byproducts of these energy sources don't pose any harm to human health. Take for example hydrogen. The byproduct of this source is water. The biggest issue in energy generation through non-renewable resources is the disposal of waste. Wastes generated from nuclear plants are potential carcinogens with many other serious implications on people's health. Though the human race is busy in devising new methods and technologies in order to shift towards renewable energy sources, a complete transformation is not possible before a few years. But it's quite possible to employ renewable energy sources for the energy requirements of the domestic and the small industries.
Reducing Dependency on Non-renewable Resources
We can reduce our dependence on non renewable resources as avoiding them completely is not possible. We would be less vulnerable if we go for renewable energy sources. For example, remember the big blackout of 2003, which took out millions of homes in North America. It wouldn't have been such a big deal if we weren't all dependent on the grid. Every day we exploit so many non renewable energy sources, thus ending up using the energy others can benefit from. Take for instance Las Vegas. The energy requirements of that city are sufficient for a third world country.
Use of Solar and Wind Energy for Small Scale Application
Solar energy is an unlimited resource and it could be harnessed right from the roof of your home. The rooftop solar panels could suffice the energy needs of a home. A research is underway in this regard, and it employs panels which work on the process of photosynthesis. The process involves the splitting of water, thus yielding a hydrogen fuel.
The systems would use energy from intermittent sources, like sunlight or wind, to create hydrogen fuel, which could then be used in fuel cells or other devices to produce electricity or transportation fuels as per requirement. The wind turbine could either be roof mounted or mast mounted. Initially, this could be used as a standby power generation system in small industries. After it proves its worth, this storage system could finally be used to replace the non renewable system. This way, small scale industries could become independent and self sustainable in terms of energy generation.
As for domestic use, the energy entrapped from solar panels or wind turbines could be stored in tanks by simply supplying them with water. The resulting hydrogen fuel could later on be fed to the fuel cell, where it could be used to generate electricity.
The only feasible way to meet the overall energy requirements of the world is by using non renewable energy resources. The fact that they are clean, abundant and comparatively cheap makes them an ideal choice for the future.
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Best of luck
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