Hydropower:
Water's usability to generate electricity is tremendous since the kinetic energy of flowing water is amply used to produce hydroelectricity such as to rotate turbines. It's a form of renewable energy where it contributes to less pollution of environment and consumption of fossil fuels. In the United States there are approximately more than 5,000 dams that are used to produce hydroelectricity contributing to 9% of the nation's electricity.
Hydropower doesn't require a large dam to produce electricity but a small canal is enough is channel the river water to rotate the turbine. However, only large projects are able to produce on-demand electricity which unfortunately is the limitation for small projects. Dams producing hydroelectricity also offer other forms of recreation such as habitat for aquatic animals and destructive flooding downstream.
- Tidal Energy:
Tidal energy also called Tidal power is a renewable source of energy and a form of hydropower used to generate electricity using the energy of the tides. Though not widely used to generate electricity, it can be called as the energy resource of the future with the current rate of depletion of non-renewable resources. High costs and limited availability have kept tidal energy from being utilized to its full potential. Tidal power is generated through Tidal stream generator, Tidal barrage and Dynamic tidal power.
- Wave Power:
Wave power is the transport of energy on ocean wave to carry out multiple jobs like electricity generation, water desalination and pumping of water into reservoirs. Wave power is not currently used on a commercial scale though the first wave farm was opened in Portugal in 2008.
Geothermal Energy:
Geothermal energy is the thermal energy generated and stored in the earth that verifies the temperature of the matter. This clean and sustainable type of energy is found in shallow hot ground water, hot rocks a few miles beneath the earth's surface and in the molten magma if we go deeper. Geothermal energy produces few emissions and is consistently available for use. Technologies that make geothermal energy usable include geothermal heat pumps which take advantage of the warm ground temperature and use it to cool or heat buildings. Another use is for bathing as medium of hot water as it provides heat directly and also contains medicinal skin properties. Geothermal power plants convert hydrothermal fluids like hot water or steam accessed from deep wells to drive a turbine which then produces electricity.
Wind Energy:
Particularly in seabed, hilly areas and seashores, wind is easily available and hence it is less expensive source of energy. By utilizing the momentum and transferring it to rotor blades, energy can be produced from wind. The process of producing energy from this source does not create any type of pollution but the maintenance can produce negligible amount of water or air pollution. The usage of windmills or wind turbines to produce energy is constrained to installing them in windy areas where wind flows with high speed as otherwise wind cannot be utilized to produce energy. To generate energy, humans have been harnessing the wind since ages. But today's modern wind turbines continue to become more productive and powerful as they supply energy to hundreds of homes than the windmills used in old days which were good enough to produce energy only for small jobs like fetching water from sea or grinding grains.
Solar Energy:
The sun is the most important source of energy. The sun rays can be used as a mean of producing the energy. Photovoltaic cells possessing the characteristic of converting heat to energy are used to generate electricity. When sun rays strike the surface of these photovoltaic cells, electric current is produced. This device is also less expensive as it is made up of silicon which is one of the most abundant elements on earth. The only limitation of using solar energy or solar panels or photovoltaic cells is that they can produce electric current only in the day, when bright sunlight is available in abundance. Installing photovoltaic cells or solar panels hence cannot produce energy in rainy or snowy seasons.
Biomass Energy:
Biomass power is the electricity generated from biomass and is obtained from wood, crops, harvest residues, urban refuse and industrial wastes known as biomass. It is one of the important sources of renewable energy and serves as an essential part of waste management process. Pulp and paper industries in United States are prominent generators of biomass. Obtaining power from biomass substances is more cost-effective than that of obtaining it from wind using wind turbines or windmills or any other source as it requires less investment. Crops, woody plants, grass absorb carbon dioxide during their growth and emit same amount of carbon dioxide when processed to generate electricity. This recycling of atmospheric carbon may reduce global warming.
source: http://renewableenergy.com/sources-of-renewable-energy/
8 different forms of Renewable Energy Resources
All these power generation methods can be defined as renewable as they’re not depleting some resource to generate the energy. While there are numerous large-scale renewable resources of energy production and projects, renewable tools are also suited for minor off-grid applications, occasionally in remote and rural areas which are places where these energy is often vital in human growth.
1. Tidal Power
Tidal power can be produced in two methods, barrage generation or by tidal stream generators. The power created through tidal generators is usually more environment friendly and causes fewer impacts on established ecosystems. Like a wind turbine, numerous tidal stream generators revolve underwater and are driven by the quickly moving thick water.
Tidal Power
2. Wave Power
The Wave power is created by the transport of power by ocean waves, and the seizure of that energy for doing useful work — say for example for water desalination, electricity generation, or the water pumping (into reservoirs). Wave power can be hard to couple due to the irregularity of the wave and ocean direction.
Wave Power
3. Solar Energy
Photovoltaic (PV) Solar energy is harnessing the sun’s energy to produce power. Being one of the rapid growing renewable resources of energy, new technologies are emerging at a quick pace. Solar batteries are becoming more effectual, transportable and even malleable which allows easier maintenance and cheaper energy in the long run.
solar energy
4. Wind Power
Wind power is nothing but the alteration of wind energy through wind turbines into some useful form, like mechanical energy or electricity. Large-scale wind fields are typically connected with the local power communication network with little turbines used to offer electricity to isolated regions.
Wind Power
5. Hydroelectricity
Hydroelectricity is the electricity produced by hydropower that is the production of energy through use of gravitational force of flowing or falling water. It’s the most extensively used resource of renewable energy.
Hydroelectricity
6. Radiant Energy
This usual energy can do the same wonders like ordinary electricity at below 1 percent of the cost. This does not behave accurately like electricity, however, that has contributed to scientific community’s mistake.
Radiant Energy
7. Geothermal Power
The Geothermal power is a very efficient and powerful way to excerpt renewable energy from earth through natural procedures. This can be done on a small measure to provide warmth for a housing unit (a geothermal heating pump), or at a larger scale for power production by means of a geothermal plant.
Geothermal Power
8. Biomass
Biomass, being a renewable source of energy, refers to recently dead and living biological material that could be used as a fuel for industrial production. Here, biomass refers to the plant matter grown for generating electricity, for example trash like dead branches and trees, yard clipping and wood chip biofuel. This this also comprises of animal or plant matter used for creation of fibre, heat or chemicals.
Biomass
The area of renewable energy sources are also receiving good funding from the government that has helped them for making it big. They’ve been successful in increasing their market and also achieving their targets.
source: http://www.ecologistblog.com/8-different-forms-of-renewable-energy-resources/
