Everyone from developed and developing nations understands the importance of renewable electricity generation technologies. These renewable electricity generation technologies help reduce the carbon dioxide footprint – simply put, the future of our environment depends on it. One way people throughout the world are working on fixing this issues is by researching and developing new sources of renewable electricity.
Sources of Renewable Electricity Generation Technologies
Today, there are 6 sources these electricity generation technologies come from.
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Water
The largest source of renewable electricity today comes from water – hydropower. This type of renewable electricity is created by using turbines. Unfortunately, this is very expensive and time-consuming. You should also know that it can harm marine life.
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Organic Matter
The International Energy Agency says that about 11% of renewable electricity comes from organic matter (a.k.a. biomass). This comes from mill operations that are responsible for the industrial processing of wood products, agriculture, construction, and solid waste. Once burned they’re converted into gas.
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Steam
One of the most reliable, cost-effective types of renewable electricity comes from steam – geothermal energy. Each year it’s responsible for about 2% (2,800 megawatts) of energy. Here, steam is extracted to power a turbine, which powers an electric generator. Unfortunately, it’s challenging to find viable land sites, but it does work well for powering small building heaters.
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Wind
About 1% of renewable electricity in the U.S. (about 2,500 megawatts) comes from the wind rotating through a blade that’s attached to a main shaft where the generator is located. Just how much energy is created depends on the turbine’s size. Smaller turbines are used for powering homes, farms, and ranches. Unfortunately, this renewable electricity generation technology isn’t only expensive to install, but it’s actually quite noisy too.
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The Sun
There are several types of renewable electricity generation technologies that come from the sun, including the use of photovoltaic cells. This type of energy doesn’t need much maintenance. It simply uses a microchip that absorbs sunlight freeing electrons from atoms so reliable, renewable electricity is generated.
Another type of renewable energy from the sun is in the form of solar thermal systems. Here solar collectors absorb solar radiation then heats air or water and produces steam that runs the turbine. In turn, the turbine powers the generator.
Regardless of what type of renewable electricity you use to power your home today, you’ll not only conserve electricity, but also help the environment. This is why renewable electricity generation technologies are worth looking into.
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