Solar Energy in the UAE - Essay Example

? Mary Faure Salem Alketbi June 25, Solar Energy in the UAE Summary This proposal explains why the UAE should begin to decrease the use of oil as a source to generate power. There is a suggested alternative resource that the government of the UAE should consider. This alternative choice is solar energy. This proposal seeks to bring insight of solar energy to the matter at hand. The suggested option will be elaborately discussed in the subsequent sections. Problem The UAE relies entirely on oil in order to generate power. Using oil as a major resource to generate power is insufficient, as oil is a non-renewable energy source and there is no way to obtain more once it has been depleted. This fact has the potential to cause a major threat to the country. In addition, using oil produces considerable amounts of gases that result in damaging our environment. Topic and thesis This research will examine power generating in the United Arab Emirates. It will analyze the importance of changing the method of using oil to generate power. Furthermore, this proposal will discuss how renewable energy can be beneficial to this country. The emphasis of this research will be on the significance of using solar energy instead of using oil. The government of the UAE should communicate the importance of solar energy to the major cities due to the following three reasons: Solar energy is completely renewable Solar energy doesn't create pollution UAE has a good environment and conditions to consider using solar energy Background Information The UAE is located in the southeast of the Arabian Peninsula. It is considered to be one of the richest countries in regard to oil. Indeed, oil has a large array of uses in the UAE. One of its main uses is to generate power. For example, conventional steam is created, which is when oil is burned to heat water to create steam to generate electricity. Also, they can burn the oil so that it produces hot gases, which spin a turbine to generate power. This method is known as combustion. This massive consumption of oil leads to many serious environmental problems. These problems should be controlled by using an alternative way of generating power, which can be done by using solar energy. This kind of energy, unlike the burning oil, doesn't produce pollution. Solar energy can be used through technology devices such as solar heating, solar photovoltaics, solar thermal electricity and solar architecture. Sources of Information Future Energy - Improved, Sustainable and Clean Options for Our Planet (book) Photovoltaic Systems for High-Performance Housing Solar Energy Masdar City website Organization and the scope of the Proposal What is solar photovoltaics? Why is the UAE a good place to use solar energy? Is solar energy renewable? What is the impact of both solar PV and burning oil to our planet? Key Terms Solar energy: energy that uses the power of the sun's light and heat to produce electricity Photovoltaic: a piece of equipment that changes light into electricity How do solar photovoltaics work? Here is an explanation from Science NASA News about how PV works: The diagram below illustrates the operation of a basic photovoltaic cell, which is also called a solar cell. Solar cells are made of the same kind of materials as semiconductors, such as silicon, which is used in the microelectronics industry. For solar cells, a thin semiconductor wafer is specially treated to form an electric field, positive on one side and negative on the other. When light energy strikes the solar cell, electrons are knocked loose from the atoms in the semiconductor material. If electrical conductors are attached to the positive and negative sides, forming an electrical circuit, the electrons can be captured in the form of an electric current -- that is, electricity. This electricity can then be used to power a load, such as a light or a tool. Environment and climate The UAE has a great environment and climate to implement solar energy to generate power. The UAE lies between 22°50? and 26° north latitude, which means that it is not far from the equator. This shows how the climate of the UAE is always hot. In the summer the temperature reaches above 45 °C. The winter in the UAE is just two months, January and February, when minimum temperatures are between 10 and 14 °C. Thus, this considerable amount of sun and heat could be used to generate a generous amount of power through solar photovoltaics. Moreover, the amount of energy that solar photovoltaics can generate is determined by the amount of sunlight and the number of solar photovoltaic cells. Increasing the number of solar photovoltaics requires space and area. The UAE has enough space to sustain the solar photovoltaics. Below is a map of the UAE that shows the empty space that can handle the project’s required area. The green shaded area represents the cities and the locations that are heavily populated, while the yellow shaded area displays the desert where no cities or people are present. Solar energy is renewable As discussed in the problem section, oil is non-renewable energy source and relying on it as a major source of energy forms a threat on UAE energy. Using solar energy is a great opportunity to solve this problem. "The amount of solar radiation striking the earth over a three-day period is equivalent to the energy stored in all fossil energy sources." This shows how this kind of energy is able to generate, regenerate and regulate big cities. Solar energy is non-polluting The most important aspect of solar energy is the positive effect on the environment. Solar energy doesn't cause harm to the environment. There is no pollution as a result of using solar energy and no greenhouse gases are released into our atmosphere. Solar energy does not exert carbon dioxide. Furthermore, one of the greatest advantages of using PV is that once it is installed, it doesn't require maintenance. This means that there will be no further activities or work needed in order to run the panels. On the other hand, using oil to generate power has tremendous negative impacts on our delicate planet. Burning oil produces carbon dioxide. One of the greatest negative effects of oil usage is the creation of acid rain, which occurs because burning oil releases sulphur. This kind of chemical reacts dangerously with atmospheric moisture. Conclusion Relying more on solar energy instead of oil burning in the UAE will offer a stronger realization for more sustainable energy resources. Using solar energy is adequate because solar energy is renewable and it is a great source of sustainable energy. Furthermore, solar energy doesn't create pollution, nor does it release harmful greenhouse gases. Finally, the UAE has a good environment and conditions to consider using solar energy as the weather is always hot. Due to the three aforementioned reasons that I have discussed, the UAE should consider implementing solar energy. Read More