RENEWABLE ENERGY TECHNOLOGY
Course Code: EEE 419
Introduction to Renewable
Energy
Imagination is more important than knowledge
– Albert Einstein
What is Renewable Energy ??
Renewable Energy Sources are defined as Fuels that can be
easily made or "renewed."
We can never use up renewable fuels.
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Renewable Energy
Types of Renewable Energy:
Hydropower (water),
Solar,
Wind,
Geothermal, and
Biomass.
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Renewable Energy
Present Energy Resources:
Fossil fuels - coal, oil, gas are all of limited amounts. Can’t be
replaced.
Nuclear fuels - limited amounts of uranium for nuclear fission
reactors but reprocessing of fuel possible.
Difficult to estimate how long these fuels will last - but is it sustainable
economically or environmentally?
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Renewable Energy
Fig: Present renewable energy condition of World wide
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Renewable Energy
Fig: Present renewable energy condition of Bangladesh
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Hydro Energy
What is it?
Hydropower, or hydro energy, is a form of renewable energy that
uses the water stored in dams, as well as flowing in rivers to create
electricity in hydropower plants.
Hydro Energy
How it works?
Like other forms of electricity generation, hydropower uses a
turbine to help generate electricity; using the energy of falling or
flowing water to turn the blades.
The rotating blades spin a generator that converts the mechanical
energy of the spinning turbine into electrical energy.
Hydro Energy
Advantages
– Cheap to operate
• Long life and lower operating costs than all other power plants
– Renewable
– Lower energy cost than any other method
– Pretty plentiful
• Some countries depend almost entirely on it
– Not intermittent (if reservoir is large enough)
– Reservoirs have multiple uses
• Flood control, drinking water, aquaculture, recreation
– Less air pollution than fossil fuel combustion
Hydro Energy
Disadvantages:
– Human population displacement
– Reduces availability of water downstream
– Ecosystem impacts
– Water pollution problems
– Decommissioning is a big problem
• The Size Issue
– Many (most) of the above problems are significantly worse for larger
dams
– However, small dams have shorter lifetimes, less capacity, and are
more intermittent
Biomass Energy
What is it?
– Biomass energy is the use of living and recently dead biological
material as an energy source
– Ultimately dependent on the capture of solar energy and
conversion to a chemical (carbohydrate) fuel
– Theoretically it is a carbon neutral and renewable source of
energy
Biomass Energy
How it works?
– Traditional: forest management, using wood as
fuel
– Use of biodegradable waste
• Examples: manure, crop residue, sewage, municipal solid waste
– Recent interest in agricultural production of
energy crops
• Should be high yield and low maintenance
• Examples: corn, sugarcane, hemp, willow, palm oil, and many others
• Does not have to be a food crop
– Production of a liquid or gaseous biofuel
• Biogas due to the breakdown of biomass in the absence of O2
– Includes capture of landfill methane
Biomass Energy
Advantages
– Versatile
– Renewable
– No net CO2 emissions (ideally)
– Emits less SO2 and NOx than fossil fuels
Biomass Energy
Disadvantages
– Low energy density/yield
– Land conversion
• Possible decrease in agricultural food productivity
– Usual problems associated with intensive agriculture
• Soil depletion
• Soil erosion
• Other water pollution problems
Geothermal Energy
How it works
– A geothermal power plant works by tapping into steam
or hot water reservoirs underground; the heat is used to drive
an electrical generator.
Geothermal Energy
Advantages
– Renewable
– Easy to exploit in some cases
– CO2 production less than with fossil fuels
– High net energy yield
Geothermal Energy
Disadvantages
– Not available everywhere
– H2S pollution
– Produces some water pollution (somewhat similar
to mining)
Solar Energy
How it works
– Solar power plants
• Steam produced to turn turbine
– Solar heating
• Active and passive systems
– Photovoltaic cells
• “Solar batteries” use special semiconductors
Solar Energy
Advantages
– Renewable and free
– High energy yield
– A very clean source of energy
• No air/water pollution during operation
– Low operating costs
• Will pay for themselves over time
Solar Energy
Disadvantages
– Intermittent source
• Energy storage issues
– Low energy density
• Requires pretty much land
Wind Energy
• How it works?
– Wind turbines directly generate electricity
– Quite efficient (not a heat engine)
Wind Energy
Advantages
– High net energy yield
– Renewable and free
– Very clean source of energy
• No pollution (air or water) during operation
– Long operating life
– Low operating/maintenance costs
– Can be quickly built; not too expensive
– Now almost competitive with hydro and fossil fuels
– Land can be used for other purposes
• Can combine wind and agricultural farms
Wind Energy
Disadvantages
– Energy storage issues
• An intermittent source of energy; need backup (eg stored energy) for low-
wind days
• Or must be connected to the electrical grid
– Only practical in areas that are windy enough
– Danger to birds
• New (slow turning) designs largely eliminate this problem
– Low energy density of wind
• Must use large areas of land
Tidal Power
Tidal Power
Tidal power is a form of hydropower that converts the energy of
tides into electrical power.
As tides are more predictable than wind and sunlight, tidal energy
can easily be generated from the changing sea levels.
Tidal Power
Advantage
Renewable
Green. Tidal power is an environmentally friendly energy
source.
It’s highly predictable
Long Life spans
Tidal Power
Disadvantage
Expensive
Renewable Energy
Importance of Renewable Energy:
Energy security
Environmental Benefits
Jobs and the Economy
Energy for Generations
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