With the increasing demand for energy across the globe and the numerous activities which demand energy, there is a need for renewable energy. Renewable energy is a great alternative to fossil fuels, and is fast becoming an important part of power generation.

WHAT ARE RENEWABLE ENERGY RESOURCES

Renewable energy resources are sources of energy that is continuously replenished through natural processes. These resources are alternatives to fossil fuels which are not renewable.

Coal and oil are examples of fossil fuels that produce energy when they are burned, but they have a very limited supply. But renewable energy sources can be very much replenished and are not limited.

This makes them very suitable because you don’t have to worry about running out of power supply.

Why you should consider Renewable Energy Resources

I could give you several reasons why you should go for renewable energy sources like solar energy however, I will try to be brief.



Types of Renewable Energy Resources

SOLAR ENERGY

This is the most common type of renewable energy in use. Solar energy has been used by humans to grow crops, stay warm and dry food.

Solar energy comes directly from the sun and supplies us with the full energy needed for survival. It enables us to produce direct energy from sunlight and in turn, convert it to electricity.

This electricity is used to power our homes and businesses. In addition to solar producing electricity, solar power can also be used to charge battery systems and produce hot water.

I could help install the solar power system in your home and help you do away with unnecessary spending on power generation.

Solar energy is also recommended because it does not pollute the environment, as it does not give off fossil fuels. Now you might be wondering how this solar energy is harnessed and put into use. I will make it very clear to you, continue reading!

WIND ENERGY

When you feel the wind, it simply means that you are feeling the movement of air from one place to another. This movement is a result of uneven heating of the earth’s surface. Now this wind can be captured to give off power by making use of large turbines. Turbines generate electricity when they spin.

HYDRO ENERGY

Just like the way we produce electricity from moving air, electricity can also be generated from moving water. This can be done through the use of turbines. When moving water runs through a turbine, it spins it to produce electricity.

GEOTHERMAL ENERGY

When our planet was formed, the heat was trapped. Also during radioactive decay in the rock that is deep beneath the earth’s crust, heat is also trapped. The heat from these two sources results in a large amount of geothermal heat energy.

Just like wind power, and hydropower, geothermal heat energy is captured by using a turbine. This can be achieved by using steam from heated water to spin a turbine which aids in the generation of electricity.

BIOMASS

This is another renewable energy source. This biomass energy can be generated from recently living organic matters like plants and animals. This biomass are referred to as renewable because of how quickly plants can be regrown. And they also grow using renewable energy from the sun.

The Solar Energy

I feel like more has to be said about solar energy because the power system is gradually turning to solar as the best alternative to energy generation. So let’s talk about the solar energy.
How Solar Energy is Harnessed

The sun is a massive nuclear reactor. Deep in the sun’s core, nuclear fusion reactions produce massive amounts of energy that radiate outward from the sun’s surface and into space in the form of light and heat.

Now to harness this , there are two major ways. It can be done either using photovoltaics commonly referred to as PV or by using solar thermal energy.
Application of Solar Energy

By using a photovoltaic solar system, solar panels convert sunlight to electricity directly. This process by which solar panels convert sunlight to electricity is called photovoltaic effect.

Here, incoming sunlight strikes a semiconductor material made of silicon and sets the electrons loose.

This sets them in motion and in turn causes them to generate an electric current that can be captured with the wiring. This current is known as direct current and it has to be converted to alternating current using solar inverter. When this is done, it can now power electrical appliances.
By using solar thermal system, heat is captured directly from solar radiation. This makes it available for use in different ways. The three major ways include:

Low temperature for heating and cooling
Mid temperature for heating water
High temperature for electrical power generation.

Low temperature– this has to do with heating and cooling of air as a means of climate control. This is particularly used in passive solar building designs. Here, the sun’s rays enter a living space to heat a particular area, and in turn blocked when that area needs to be cooled.

Mid temperature– this has to do with a solar hot water heating system. Collectors will be set up on your rooftop to capture heat from the sun. This heat will be transferred to the pipes channeling water to your homes.

In this case, you don’t need to keep depending on water heaters as the heat from the sun will serve as a natural heater.

High temperature– these ones are used to generate electricity for large scales. How this operates is that mirrors are set to focus the rays coming from the sun on tubes containing a liquid that can hold heat energy well.

This heated fluid turns water into steam and can be made to turn a turbine and generate electricity.
HOW TO INSTALL SOLAR PANELS

Solar panels are installed at three main scales.
Residential
Commercial
Utility

For residential, there are usually installed in rooftops or in open land. It generally ranges between 5 and 20kilowatts. This is largely dependent on property size.

For commercial, the installation is usually installed on a greater scale than residential. This is because it has more things to power.

For utility-scale solar projects, there are usually large several megawatts installations that provide solar energy to a large number of utility customers.

With all this been said, I recommend you read a step by step process of solar panel installation. (https://www.naihcotech.com/how-to-install-a-solar-power-systems/)

READ MORE IN MY BLOG, PLEASE FOLLOW ME FOR MORE UPDATES, https://www.naihcotech.com/solar-energy/

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