Different Types of Renewable Energy Systems - Research Paper Example

In recent years when threats of global warming and the significant contributory impact of oil and petroleum products to global warming has become a more imposing reality, the use and discovery of renewable sources of energy became even more imperative. Renewable sources of energy include sources of energy taken from resources which are generally and constantly being replenished within the human timescale. These sources mostly include sunlight, wind, rain, tides, waves, and geothermal heat. These sources also have a lesser impact on the environmental and ecological conditions of the planet.

In Australia, renewable energy has gone through significant improvements since 2006 with about 30,000 gigawatt-hours of energy produced from the renewable energy which accounts for about 13.14% of energy production in the country. The expansion in solar and wind energy was observed more in the solar and wind generation with other sources also increasing. These sources include hydroelectricity, wind, bioenergy, large-scale solar and marine energy (The Climate Group, 2013). These renewable sources of energy shall be discussed in this paper, with a primary focus on solar, geothermal, wave, biofuel, and biomass energies.

Wind energy and hydropower also comprise of the renewable energy mix, these bring a lot of economic, technical and environmental advantages both to the developed and developing nations. Energy policymakers all around the world are now paying great attention to harness the renewable energy. What is renewable energy? Renewable energy is energy which emanates from natural phenomena including sunlight, wind, tides, geothermal heat, and even plants.  It is based on natural elements which are replaced also naturally and through sustainable processes.

  With its various elements, its derivations are from the sun, heat deep within the earth which assists in the conduction of electricity and heat from solar, wind, ocean, biomass, and biofuels.  It is developing at a rate of 30% yearly, at a capacity of 282,000 MW by 2012 (Aitken, 2010).  It is mostly used in Asia, Europe, and the US.  Photovoltaic (PV) capacity was at 100,000 globally in 2012 with various power stations seen in Germany and Italy (Aitken, 2010).  These sources are set to grow in the years ahead.

  Some of these sources will be discussed below. The table represents the renewable energy use in the world, including Australia. The table indicates how Australia ranks only 7th in its use of Renewable energy sources, 6th in its use of natural gas, and 8th in the use of hydroelectricity.  These results indicate the need for major improvements in renewable energy use for Australia and other countries as well.