What is Renewable Energy

Its strange how we still depend massively on oil (fossil files, which is also non-renewable) when
we know that they will one day deplete and become unavailable, whiles we are a bit hesitant to
tap into other fuel types, such as those from renewable sources.

What is renewable energy? Renewable energy is energy that exists infinitely, that is, they will

never get finished. Renewable energy also tends to be less harmful to the environment in terms of

its carbon emissions and destruction to the physical environment. This is why it is called ‘Green

energy, Clean energy or Sustainable energy’ ( Dijelasin sendiri )

Before we dig into what each renewable energy type is involved, let us see why countries
should invest in renewable energy: ( ditambahi maneh bos penjelasane )
1. It will not run out
2. It causes far less environmental pollution than fossil fuels.
3. Installing many renewable stations provides jobs for the citizens (instead of exporting oil from
oil rich nations).
4. Countries will be energy independent, as they need not rely solely on any other country.

What is Biomass ?
Biomass fuels come from things that once lived: wood products, dried vegetation, crop
residues, aquatic plants and even garbage. It is known as'Natural Material'. Plants used
up a lot of the sun's energy to make their own food (photosysnthesis). They stored the
foods in the plants in the form of chemical energy. As the plants died, the energy is
trapped in the residue. This trapped energy is usually released by 3 ways and
can be converted into biomass energy.

1. Burning:
This is a very common way of converting organic matter into energy. Burning stuff
like wood, waste and other plant matter releases stored chemical energy in the form
of heat, which can be used to turn shafts to produce electricity. Let's see this simple
illustration of how biomass is used to generate electricity.

1. Energy from the sun is transferred and stored in plants. When the plants are cut
or die, wood chips, straw and other plant matter is delivered to the bunker
2. This is burned to heat water in a boiler to release heat energy (steam)
3. The energy/power from the steam is directed to turbines with pipes
4.The steam turns a number of blades in the turbine and generators, which are
made of coils and magnets.
5. The charged magnetic fields produce electricity, which is sent to homes by
cables. ( Dijelaske karo dewe )

2. Decomposition:
Things that can rot, like garbage, human and animal waste, and dead animals,
releasing a gas called biogas (which contain methane and carbon dioxide). Methane
gas can be captured by a process called 'Anaerobic Digester'. Because in anaerobic
condition, the product must be free of oxygen and in certain circumstances such as
levels of temperature, humidity and pH appropriate.

Methane can be converted into electricity

 Penguraian anaerobik (anaerobic digestion) adalah proses dimana produk bio-degradable
diproses dan dipecah menjadi biogas. Biogas ini terdiri dari unsur-unsur seperti metana dan
karbon dioksida yang dapat digunakan untuk memproduksi listrik. Agar penguraian anaerobik
terjadi, produk harus bebas oksigen dan harus berada pada kondisi tertentu seperti tingkat suhu,
kelembaban dan pH yang sesuai. Suhu yang cocok untuk proses ini adalah antara 30-40
Celcius dan 60-80 Celcius.

3. Fermentation:
Ethanol can be produced from crops with lots of sugars / glucose, like corn
and sugarcane. The process used to produce ethanol in low concentrate is
called fermentation. Glucose will be fermented by yeast to produce ethanol
and carbon dioxide. Ethanol cannot be used as a pure fuel. Ethanol must be
mixed into gasoline with composition, 15% ethanol and 85% gasoline. Even
though, ethanol may reduce the use of fossil fuels.

What is Wind Power?

Wind is caused by huge convection currents in the Earth's atmosphere, driven by heat
energy from the Sun. This means as long as the sun shines, there will be wind.

How do winds form?

This can be explained in simple terms by the daily wind cycle.

The earth's surface has both land and water. When the sun comes up, the air over the
land heats up quicker than that over water. The heated air is lighter and it rises. The
cooler air is denser and it falls and replaced the air over the land. In the night the
reverse happens. Air over the water is warmer and rises, and is replaced by cooler air
from land. ( dijelaske dewe bos )

The moving air (wind) has huge amounts of kinetic energy, and this can be transferred
into electrical energy using wind turbines. The wind turns the blades, which spin a
shaft, which connects to a generator and makes electricity. The electricity is sent
through transmission and distribution lines to a substation, then on to homes, business
and schools.

Hydro Power
Hydro-power (water) is one of the older electricity generating technologies around. It uses the
concept of kinetic energy in fast flowing water. Many years ago, In some country wheat wheels
were used in farm hoses to mill wheat into flour. This concept remains the same, but the
technology has changed a lot. Hydroelectric power (HEP) schemes store water high up in
dams. The water has gravitational potential energy which is released when it falls.

Let's see a good example of how water can be used to generate electricity.

As the water rushes down through pipes, this stored energy is transferred to kinetic energy,
which turns electricity generators.

The Dam is built to retain the water. More electricity is produced if the water is more
in the reservoir
 Sluice Gates: These can open and close to regulate the amount of water that is
released into the pipes.

Potential energy in the retained water is transferred into kinetic energy by water
flowing through the pipes with high speed.

The force and high pressure in the water turns a series of shafts in a generator.
Spinning shafts in the generator charges millions of coils and magnets to create
electricity, which is regulated by a transformer. This is then transported via cables to
homes and factories. ( Jelaskan sendiri )

To build a dam there has to be valleys and rivers that flow all year round. This will help
with the building and success of the dam. This way, the fullest effect of the waters
kinetic energy can be tapped.

Geothermal energy
Deep down in the earth's crust, there is molten rock (magma). Molten rock is simply
rocks that have melted into liquid form as a result of extreme heat under the earth.
This can be found about 1800 miles deep below the surface, but closer to the surface,
the rocks layers are hot enough to keep water and air spaces there at a temperature of
about 50-60 degrees F (10-16 degrees C). Geothermal technology takes advantage of
the hot close-to-earth-surface temperatures to generate power.

In places with hotter 'close-to-earth-surface' temperatures, deep wells can be

drilled and cold water pumped down. The water runs through fractures in the
rocks and is heated up. It returns to the surface as hot water and steam, where its
energy can be used to drive turbines and electricity generators. ( Jelaskan sendiri)
In other places, a geothermal heat pump system consisting of pipes and pumps
buried in the earth can be used to heat homes. This is done by opening up the
system, extracting the hot air to feed indoor air delivery system during the cold
seasons. In the USA, some geothermal systems can be found in Hawaii and Alaska.

Geothermal energy is called a renewable energy source because the water is

replenished by rainfall, and the heat is continuously produced by the earth.

(Mulai ini belum tak baca bos)

Saving Energy
Just century ago, humans used very little energy because we had less of the things that
use up energy. There were no computers, phones, TV, cars, lights, washing machines
and all that. After the industrial revolution, people started using a lot more
manufactured items such as electronics, automobiles, and home appliances.

These items use a lot of energy, but if we all cut our energy use by half, that would be
huge savings.

Saving energy can be achieved in a couple of ways: 1.Energy conservation, 2.Energy

Efficiency, and 3.Recycling. These first two are not the same, even though people
often use them to mean the same thing.

Energy Conservation:
This is the practice that results in less energy being used. For example, turning the
taps, computers, lights, and TV off when not in use. Energy conservation is great
because we can all do this everywhere and anytime. It is a great behavior we must
acquire.

Energy Efficiency
This is the use of manufacturing techniques and technology to produce things that use
less energy for the same result. For example if a heater is designed to warm your home
with less energy than regular heaters, that would be an energy efficient heater. If your
washing machine uses less energy to do the same job as other washers, that is an
energy efficient washer.

Recycling
This involves the use of waste or old materials to make new ones. For example, we can
collect all old newspapers from the town at the end of everyday and turn the papers
into fresh paper for printing again. We can collect all plastic bottles and send them to
be used for new plastic bottles, or used for children plastic toys. (read more about
recycling here)
Recycling saves energy because less energy is used to recycle than to turn new raw
materials into new products.
Reference :

http://www.eschooltoday.com/energy/renewable-
energy/marine-energy.html

http://enviropol.com/index.php/solar-energy