Alternative

Sources of
GREEN ENERGY
Conventional VS
Non-conventional
Sources of Energy
CONVENTIONAL
ENERGY SOURCES
Energy sources that have been used from
ancient times
Example sources for thermal power are
coal, petroleum, and natural gas.
Example sources of electrical energy are
coal, oil, wood, peat, uranium.
Major sources are fossil fuels
Mostly non-renewable natural resources
NON-CONVENTIONAL
ENERGY SOURCES
Energy of the future
Mostly renewable natural resources
because they are continually replenished
free energy sources
Environment-friendly and harness natural
processes
By 2050, one-third of the world's energy
will need to come from solar, wind, and
other renewable resources.
CONTRAST OF CONVENTIONAL
AND NON-CONVENTIONAL
ENERGY SOURCES
CONVENTIONAL NON-CONVENTIONAL
ENERGY SOURCES ENERGY SOURCES
widely and abundantly not frequently used
used at present
enormous reserve of noanxiety for
fossil fuels are fast exhaustion
depleting
produces air pollution does not produce air
and causes pollution
environmental threats
costly much cheaper
Alternative Sources of
GREEN ENERGY
Solar Power
Hydrogen Energy
Tidal Power
Wave/Ocean Power
Hydroelectricity
Wind Power
Biogas
Biomass
Geothermal Power
Nuclear Power
Solar Energy

Harnessing the suns energy to produce

electricity
One of the fastest growing green energy
source
Utilizes photovoltaic cells to convert sunlight
into electricity
Two types: passive solar energy
active solar energy
Advantages of Solar Energy
It is free and indefinitely renewable .
It can be used in remote areas where it is too
expensive to extend the electricity power grid.
A 1.5 kilowatt PV system will keep more than
110,000 pounds of carbon dioxide, the chief
greenhouse gas, out of the atmosphere over the
next 25 years.
It will also prevent the need to burn 60,000 pounds
of coal. With solar, there's no acid rain, no urban
smog, no pollution of any kind.
They are also modularyou can start with a small
system and expand it over time.
Solar cells are becoming more efficient,
transportable and even flexible, allowing for easy
installation.
It is also a silent producer of energy.
Disadvantages of Solar Energy
It cannot be used during night and not all the
light from sun can be trapped by solar panels.
It is proven to be ineffective in colder regions
which dont receive good sunlight.
Solar collectors, panels and cells are relatively
expensive to manufacture.
They do not match the power output of
similar sized conventional power stations.
Large areas of land are required to capture
the suns energy.
Hydrogen Energy
A fuel cell combines hydrogen and oxygen to
produce electricity, heat, and water.
However, the fuel cell will produce electricity
as long as fuel (hydrogen) is supplied, never
losing its charge.
The workings of the hydrogen fuel cell are
surprisingly simple, comprising no moving
parts, and they can produce electricity for a
wide variety of uses, from the smallest
generator or engine to industrial and
commercial levels commensurate with the
largest power plants currently operating.
Advantages of Hydrogen Energy
There are very low to zero carbon emissions
and no emissions of harmful ambient air
substances like nitrogen dioxide, sulphur
dioxide or carbon monoxide.
It has low noise and has a high power quality.
They offer high efficiencies which are
independent of size.
It is renewable.
Disadvantages of Hydrogen Energy
Hydrogen itself is highly flammable.
Hydrogen production requires a lot of work.
The technology for renewable sources of
hydrogen production is still in its early stage
and it will take a long time before it can be
used on a wide scale.
Producing hydrogen in the large quantities
necessary for the transport and stationary
power markets is costly and time-consuming.
Its production is still dependent on fossil fuels.
Water (Hydro, Wave, Tidal)
Hydropower, also called hydroelectric power,
hydropower is generated by the Earth's water
cycle, including evaporation, rainfall, tides and
the force of water running through a dam.
Hydropower depends on high
precipitation levels to produce significant
amounts of energy.
Wave power
caused by the wind as it blows across the
sea.
a powerful source of energy.
How it works
Advantages
The energy is free - no fuel needed, no
waste produced.
Not expensive to operate and maintain.
Can produce a great deal of energy.
Disadvantages
Depends on the waves - sometimes you'll get
loads of energy, sometimes almost nothing.
Needs a suitable site, where waves are
consistently strong.
Some designs are noisy. But then again, so are
waves, so any noise is unlikely to be a
problem.
Must be able to withstand very rough
weather.
Hydroelectric power
name comes from "hydro", the Greek
word for water.
How it works
Advantages
Once the dam is built, the energy is
virtually free.
No waste or pollution produced.
Water can be stored above the dam
ready to cope with peaks in demand.
Electricity can be generated constantly.
Disadvantages
The dams are very expensive to build.
Building a large dam will flood a very large
area upstream, causing problems for animals
that used to live there.
Finding a suitable site can be difficult - the
impact on residents and the environment
may be unacceptable.
Water quality and quantity downstream can
be affected, which can have an impact on
plant life.
Tidal power
also called tidal energy.
is a form of hydropower that converts the
energy of tides into useful forms of power,
mainly electricity.
How it works
Advantages
Once you've built it, tidal power is free.
It produces no greenhouse gases or other
waste.
It needs no fuel.
It produces electricity reliably.
Not expensive to maintain.
Tides are totally predictable.
Offshore turbines and vertical-axis turbines are
not ruinously expensive to build and do not
have a large environmental impact.
Disadvantages
A barrage across an estuary is very expensive
to build, and affects a very wide area - the
environment is changed for many miles
upstream and downstream. Many birds rely
on the tide uncovering the mud flats so that
they can feed. Fish can't migrate, unless "fish
ladders" are installed.
Only provides power for around 10 hours
each day, when the tide is actually moving in
or out.
There are few suitable sites for tidal barrages
NUCLEAR ENERGY
 Nuclear technology uses the energy released
by splitting the atoms of certain elements. It
was first developed in the 1940s, and during
the Second World War to 1945 research
initially focussed on producing bombs by
splitting the atoms of particular isotopes of
either uranium or plutonium.

Nuclear power produces around 11% of the

world's energy needs, and produces huge
amounts of energy from small amounts of
fuel, without the pollution that you'd get from
burning fossil fuels.
 HOW IT WORKS

Nuclear power stations work in pretty much the same

way as fossil fuel-burning stations, except that a
"chain reaction" inside a nuclear reactor makes the
heat instead.
 HOW IT WORKS

The reactor uses Uranium rods as fuel, and the heat is

generated by nuclear fission: neutrons smash into the
nucleus of the uranium atoms, which split roughly in
half and release energy in the form of heat.
 TWO TYPES OF URANIUM
Nuclear fuel consists of two types of uranium, U-238 and U-235.
Most of the uranium in nuclear fuel is U-238, but U-235 splitsor
fissionseasily. In U-235 atoms, the nucleus, which is composed
of protons and neutrons, is unstable. As the nuclei break up,
they release neutrons.
When the neutrons hit other uranium atoms, those atoms also
split, releasing neutrons of their own, along with heat. These
neutrons strike other atoms, splitting them. One fission triggers
others, which triggers still more until there is a chain reaction.
When that happens, fission becomes self-sustaining.
Rods inserted among the tubes holding the uranium fuel control
the nuclear reaction. Control rods, inserted or withdrawn to
varying degrees, slow or accelerate the reaction.
Water separates fuel tubes in the reactor. The heat produced
by fission turns this water into steam. The steam drives a turbine,
which spins a generator to create electricity.
 HOW IT WORKS

Carbon dioxide gas or water is pumped through the

reactor to take the heat away, this then heats water
to make steam.
 HOW IT WORKS

The steam drives turbines which drive

generators.
 HOW IT WORKS

Modern nuclear power stations use the same

type of turbines and generators as
conventional power stations.
 HOW IT WORKS

The reactor is controlled with "control rods", made of

boron, which absorb neutrons. When the rods are
lowered into the reactor, they absorb more neutrons
and the fission process slows down. To generate
more power, the rods are raised and more neutrons
can crash into uranium atoms.
Should I worry
about nuclear
power???
 Should I worry about nuclear
power?
Nuclear power stations are not atomic bombs
waiting to go off, and are not prone to "meltdowns".

There is a lot of U-238 in there slowing things down -

you need a high concentration of U-235 to make a
bomb.

If the reactor gets too hot, the control rods are

lowered in and it cools down.

If that doesn't work, there are sets of emergency

control rods that automatically drop in and shut the
reactor down completely.
 ADVANTAGES
Nuclear power costs about the same as coal, so it's
not expensive to make.
Does not produce smoke or carbon dioxide, so it
does not contribute to the greenhouse effect.
Produces huge amounts of energy from small
amounts of fuel.
Produces small amounts of waste.
Nuclear power is reliable.
 DISADVANTAGES
Although not much waste is produced, it is very, very
dangerous.
It must be sealed up and buried for many thousands
of years to allow the radioactivity to die away.
For all that time it must be kept safe from
earthquakes, flooding, terrorists and everything else.
This is difficult.
 DISADVANTAGES
Nuclear power is reliable, but a lot of money has to
be spent on safety - if it does go wrong, a nuclear
accident can be a major disaster.

People are increasingly concerned about this - in the

1990's nuclear power was the fastest-growing source
of power in much of the world. In 2005 it was the
second slowest-growing.
FAQs
How does nuclear energy compare to other power sources?
A single uranium fuel pellet the size of a pencil eraser contains the
same amount of energy as 17,000 cubic feet of natural gas, 1,780
pounds of coal or 149 gallons of oil.
Is nuclear energy considered a renewable energy source?
A renewable energy source uses an essentially limitless supply of
fuel, whether wind, the sun or water. Nuclear energy is often called
a sustainable energy source, because there is enough uranium in
the world to fuel reactors for 100 years or more.
Do nuclear energy facilities require large areas of land?
Compared to other non-emitting sources, nuclear energy facilities
are relatively compact. The amount of electricity produced by a
multi-reactor nuclear power plant would require more than 60
square miles of photovoltaic panels or about 180 square miles of
wind turbines.
 FAQs
Do nuclear power plants release radioactive material?
Yes, but in extremely small levels that are regulated by the
federal government. Nuclear power plants produce
radioactive gases and liquid wastes during normal
operation. A plant has tanks designed to store gas and
liquid radioactive materials that are generated during
normal operation. The radioactive material is held for a
period of time to allow for the radioactivity level to
decrease before being treated and/or released in a
planned, monitored way. This keeps the amount of
radioactive material in releases low and well within federal
limits.
Radiation releases that are not made in accordance with
procedures, or are above regulatory limits, are reported to
the Nuclear Regulatory Commission and to the state where
the facility is operating.
 FAQs
Are nuclear energy facilities safe?
Yes. The industrys first commitment is to operate nuclear energy
facilities safely. After more than a half-century of commercial
nuclear energy production in the United Statesmore than 3,500
reactor years of operationthere have been no radiation-related
health effects linked to their operation.
How much do nuclear energy facilities cost?
Nuclear power plants are capital-intensive projects, with
construction costs estimated at $6 billion to $8 billion for a large
reactor. Once built, operating costs for electricity are low.
What is used nuclear fuel?
Used uranium fuel assemblies from commercial reactors still have 90
percent of the original potential energy, but are stored at nuclear
energy facilities where they are used.
 FAQs
How does nuclear energy compare to other power sources?
A single uranium fuel pellet the size of a pencil eraser contains the
same amount of energy as 17,000 cubic feet of natural gas, 1,780
pounds of coal or 149 gallons of oil.
Is nuclear energy considered a renewable energy source?
A renewable energy source uses an essentially limitless supply of
fuel, whether wind, the sun or water. Nuclear energy is often called
a sustainable energy source, because there is enough uranium in
the world to fuel reactors for 100 years or more.
Do nuclear energy facilities require large areas of land?
Compared to other non-emitting sources, nuclear energy facilities
are relatively compact. The amount of electricity produced by a
multi-reactor nuclear power plant would require more than 60
square miles of photovoltaic panels or about 180 square miles of
wind turbines.
GEOTHERMAL
ENERGY
Heat energy from underground
 Geothermal energy has been used for thousands of
years in some countries for cooking and heating.
The name "geothermal" comes from two Greek words:
"geo" means "Earth" and "thermal" means "heat".
HOW IT WORKS
Hot rocks underground heat

water to produce steam.
We drill holes down to the hot
region, steam comes up, is
purified and used to drive
turbines, which drive electric
generators.
There may be natural
"groundwater" in the hot
rocks anyway, or we may
need to drill more holes and
pump water down to them.
HOW IT WORKS
HOW IT WORKS
Geothermal energy is an important resource in volcanically
active places such as Iceland and New Zealand.
How useful it is depends on how hot the water gets. This
depends on how hot the rocks were to start with, and how
much water we pump down to them.
Water is pumped down an "injection well", filters through
the cracks in the rocks in the hot region, and comes back
up the "recovery well" under pressure. It "flashes" into steam
when it reaches the surface.
The steam may be used to drive a turbogenerator, or
passed through a heat exchanger to heat water to warm
houses. A town in Iceland is heated this way.
The steam must be purified before it is used to drive a
turbine, or the turbine blades will get "furred up" like your
kettle and be ruined.
 ADVANTAGES
Geothermal energy does not produce any pollution,
and does not contribute to the greenhouse effect.
The power stations do not take up much room, so
there is not much impact on the environment.
No fuel is needed.
Once you've built a geothermal power station, the
energy is almost free.
It may need a little energy to run a pump, but this
can be taken from the energy being generated.
 DISADVANTAGES
The big problem is that there are not many places
where you can build a geothermal power station.
You need hot rocks of a suitable type, at a depth
where we can drill down to them.
The type of rock above is also important, it must be of
a type that we can easily drill through.
Sometimes a geothermal site may "run out of steam",
perhaps for decades.
Hazardous gases and minerals may come up from
underground, and can be difficult to safely dispose
of.
 IS IT RENEWABLE?
Geothermal energy is renewable.

The energy keeps on coming, as long as we

don't pump too much cold water down and
cool the rocks too much.

WHY GO GREEN?
Everyday, the world produces carbon dioxide that is
released to the earths atmosphere and which will
still be there in one hundred years time.
This increased content of Carbon Dioxide increases
the warmth of our planet and is the main cause of
the so called Global Warming Effect. One answer
to global warming is to replace and retrofit current
technologies with alternatives that have comparable
or better performance, but do not emit carbon
dioxide.
We call this Alternate energy.
 WHY GO GREEN?
By 2050, one-third of the world's energy will need to
come from solar, wind, and other renewable
resources. Who says? British Petroleum and Royal
Dutch Shell, two of the world's largest oil companies.
Climate change, population growth, and fossil fuel
depletion mean that renewables will need to play a
bigger role in the future than they do today.

WHY GO GREEN?
Everyday, the world produces carbon dioxide that is
released to the earths atmosphere and which will
still be there in one hundred years time.
This increased content of Carbon Dioxide increases
the warmth of our planet and is the main cause of
the so called Global Warming Effect. One answer
to global warming is to replace and retrofit current
technologies with alternatives that have comparable
or better performance, but do not emit carbon
dioxide.
We call this Alternate energy.
 WHY GO GREEN?
Alternative energy refers to energy sources that have
no undesired consequences such for example fossil
fuels or nuclear energy. Alternative energy sources
are renewable and are thought to be "free" energy
sources. They all have lower carbon emissions,
compared to conventional energy sources. These
include Biomass Energy, Wind Energy, Solar
Energy, Geothermal Energy,Hydroelectric
Energy sources. Combined with the use of recycling,
the use of clean alternative energies such as the
home use of solar power systems will help ensure
man's survival into the 21st century and beyond.
WHY CHOOSE
RENEWABLE
ENERGY?
 Environmental Benefits
Renewable energy technologies are clean sources
of energy that have a much lower environmental
impact than conventional energy technologies.

Energy for our children's children's

children
Renewable energy will not run out. Ever. Other
sources of energy are finite and will some day be
depleted.
 Jobs and the Economy
Most renewable energy investments are spent on
materials and workmanship to build and maintain
the facilities, rather than on costly energy imports.
Renewable energy investments are usually spent
within the United States, frequently in the same state,
and often in the same town. This means your energy
dollars stay home to create jobs and fuel local
economies, rather than going overseas.
Meanwhile, renewable energy technologies
developed and built in the United States are being
sold overseas, providing a boost to the U.S. trade
deficit.
 Energy Security
After the oil supply disruptions of the early 1970s, our
nation has increased its dependence on foreign oil
supplies instead of decreasing it. This increased
dependence impacts more than just our national
energy policy.

Content for this section provided in part by the National Renewable

Energy Laboratory and the Department of Energy.
HABOL
Wind and solar are less prone to large-scale failure because they are distributed and
modular. Distributed systems are spread out over a large geographical area, so a severe
weather event in one location will not cut off power to an entire region. Modular systems are
composed of numerous individual wind turbines or solar arrays. Even if some of the
equipment in the system is damaged, the rest can typically continue to operate.
For example, in 2012 Hurricane Sandy damaged fossil fuel-dominated electric generation
and distribution systems in New York and New Jersey and left millions of people without
power. In contrast, renewable energy projects in the Northeast weathered Hurricane Sandy
with minimal damage or disruption [26].
The risk of disruptive events will also increase in the future as droughts, heat waves, more
intense storms, and increasingly severe wildfires become more frequent due to global
warming. Renewable energy sources are more resilient than coal, natural gas, and nuclear
power plants in the face of these sorts of extreme weather events.
For example, coal, natural gas, and nuclear power depend on large amounts of water for
cooling, and limited water availability during a severe drought or heat wave puts electricity
generation at risk. Wind and solar photovoltaic systems do not require water to generate
electricity, and they can help mitigate risks associated with water scarcity. (For more
information, see How it Works: Water for Electricity.)
REFERENCES:
http://www.altenergy.org/
http://www.darvill.clara.net/altenerg/
http://www.renewableenergyworld.com/i
ndex/tech/why-renewable-energy.html