Solar Energy as the Biggest Source of Energy - Essay Example

Solar energy is the most significant source of energy. Electrical energy can be generated directly from solar energy by employing solar photo voltaic panels. Electrical energy can also be produced by focusing multiple beams of light at a point to generate electrical energy using the thermal energy produced by concentrated beams. Solar energy has the most significant potential among all renewable sources of energy. A photo voltaic solar panel employs semiconductor material, which generates electricity when photons strike its surface.

If there are solar panels in every home, the need for energy can be fulfilled (West 2011). A wind generator generates electrical power by utilizing the aerodynamic energy of the wind and converting it to electrical energy. When wind strikes the turbine blades of a wind generator, it runs the generator. An electrical power generator, if a permanent magnet type, rotates magnets around a coil so that the attractions cut the flux, thus generating electrical power. There a two standard designs of a wind turbine horizontal axis wind turbine and vertical axis wind turbine.

Both designs are efficient enough to generate electrical power even in low wind conditions. Wind power holds the second biggest energy potential. A hydropower plant captures the hydrodynamic energy of running water and utilizes it to generate electrical power. Dams are constructed as reservoirs of water, where water is collected from rivers and streams but primarily rivers. That water runs through several turbines to collect hydrodynamic energy from water and convert it to mechanical energy.

The mechanical energy is then converted back to electrical power. There are many hydropower stations worldwide, and they have been in use for over eighty years (Renewable Energy World .com 2011). A tidal energy generator converts tidal energy to electrical energy. A tidal generator works on the principle of high tide and low tide. It has the exact mechanism as that of a horizontal axis wind turbine. Still, turbines in a tidal energy generator are submerged under the water to collect energy from the low or high tide.

These generators can also collect energy from running water like rivers, streams, and other sources. Large tidal units can be placed at shores and waterways. Geothermal energy can be captured from geothermal grounds. This type of energy is thermal energy. A geothermal power plant acts as a thermal power plant, where water is converted into steam which then runs the turbine to generate electrical power. Long pipes are bored into the earth where geothermal grounds are present.

Water is passed through these pipes, where the thermal energy heats it from the ground and is converted into steam (West 2011). There are several geothermal floors worldwide, and power can be generated by employing these geothermal plants. Biomass energy can be extracted from biomass or organic waste. Biomass is gasified to produce a gas that can be burnt to generate electrical power. These methods are not new; they have been utilized in many countries for years. Biomass can be produced from raw wood, organic waste, and other sources.

Sometimes microorganisms are involved in capturing biomethane or biogas from biomass. This way, the byproduct can be utilized as a fertilizer, which can be a good fertilizer for farmers. Some people believe that hydrogen is the next-generation fuel. Hydrogen can burn and produce thermal energy. Hydrogen can be extracted from water, coal and natural gas and purified to get greenhouse gasses-free thermal energy. Thermal energy can be additionally employed to generate electrical power. The byproduct of the process is only steam which can also be used in the process. Hydrogen Fuel cell technology generates electricity by reacting hydrogen atoms with platinum plates. Much research is done in the field, but the technology is still costly. Hydrogen Fuel Cells are utilized in cars to run a motor, which generates torque to move the vehicle. Renewable energy sources have great potential and can be used for the generation of electrical power and can resolve other energy issues. As we know, day by day, the earth's fossil fuel resources are becoming shorter, and the day is not so far when these resources will not be there in the world. Fossil fuel resources are burnt to produce energy. Still, the burning process involves a large amount of consumption of oxygen and the production of a large amount of carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide and other greenhouse gasses.