ME165-1

ALTERNATIVE ENERGY RESOURCES

Week-1.1 Introduction
2015-2016 / 3T

Prepared By:
Engr. Estelito V. Mamuyac
08 January 2016

ALTERNATIVE ENERGY

The world currently relies heavily on coal, oil, and natural

gas for its energy.
Fossil fuels are non-renewable, that is, they draw on finite
resources that will eventually dwindle, becoming too
expensive or too environmentally damaging to retrieve.
In contrast, the many types of renewable energy resourcessuch as wind, solar, and hydro energy - are constantly
replenished and will never run out.

ALTERNATIVE ENERGY RESOURCES

Alternative energy is any energy source that is an alternative to

fossil fuel.

The term "alternative" presupposes a set of undesirable energy

technologies against which "alternative energies" are contrasted.
As such, the list of energy technologies excluded is an indicator of which
problems the alternative technologies are intended to address.
Controversies regarding dominant sources of energy and their
alternatives have a long history.
The nature of what was regarded alternative energy sources has changed
considerably over time, and today, because of the variety of energy
choices and differing goals of their advocates, defining some energy
types as "alternative" is highly controversial.

ALTERNATIVE ENERGY RESOURCES

In a general sense in contemporary society, alternative energy is

that which is produced without the undesirable consequences of
the burning of fossil fuels, such as high carbon dioxide
emissions, which is considered to be the major contributing
factor of global warming according to the Intergovernmental
Panel on Climate Change.
Sometimes, this less comprehensive meaning of "alternative
energy" excludes nuclear energy (e.g. as defined in the Michigan
Next Energy Authority Act of 2002).

ALTERNATIVE ENERGY RESOURCES

History

Coal as an alternative to wood.

"Europeans had lived in the midst of vast forests throughout
the earlier medieval centuries.
After 1250 they became so skilled at deforestation that by
1500 AD they were running short of wood for heating and
cooking...
By 1500 Europe was on the edge of a fuel and nutritional
disaster, [from] which it was saved in the sixteenth century
only by the burning of soft coal and the cultivation of
potatoes and maize.

ALTERNATIVE ENERGY RESOURCES

History (contd.)

Petroleum as an alternative to whale oil.

Whale oil was the dominant form of lubrication and fuel

for lamps in the early 19th century, but the depletion of
the whale stocks by mid century caused whale oil prices
to skyrocket setting the stage for the adoption of
petroleum which was first commercialized in Pennsylvania
in 1859.

ALTERNATIVE ENERGY RESOURCES

History (contd.)
Alcohol as an alternative to fossil fuels
In 1917, Alexander Graham Bell advocated ethanol from
corn, wheat and other foodstuffs as an alternative to coal
and oil, stating that the world was in measurable distance
of depleting these fuels. For Bell, the problem requiring an
alternative was lack of renewability of orthodox energy
sources. Since the 1970s, Brazil has had an ethanol fuel
program which has allowed the country to become the
world's second largest producer of ethanol (after the United
States) and the world's largest exporter.

ALTERNATIVE ENERGY RESOURCES

History (contd.)
Alcohol as an alternative to fossil fuels
Brazils ethanol fuel program uses modern equipment and
cheap sugar cane as feedstock, and the residual canewaste (bagasse) is used to process heat and power.
There are no longer light vehicles in Brazil running on pure
gasoline. By the end of 2008 there were 35,000 filling
stations throughout Brazil with at least one ethanol pump.

ALTERNATIVE ENERGY RESOURCES

History (contd.)

Coal gasification as an alternative to petroleum.

In the 1970s, U.S. President Jimmy Carter's administration

advocated coal gasification as an alternative to expensive
imported oil.
The program, including the Synthetic Fuels Corporation was
scrapped when petroleum prices plummeted in the 1980s.
The carbon footprint and environmental impact of coal
gasification are both very high.

ALTERNATIVE ENERGY RESOURCES

Non-renewable Resource
A non-renewable resource is a natural resource which cannot be
reproduced, grown, generated, or used on a scale which can
sustain its consumption rate; once depleted there will be no
more available for future use.
Also considered non-renewable are resources that are
consumed much faster than nature can create them.
Fossil fuels (such as coal, petroleum, and natural gas), nuclear
power (uranium) and certain aquifers are examples.
Metal ores are prime examples of non-renewable resources.

ALTERNATIVE ENERGY RESOURCES

Renewable Resource
A renewable resource is a natural resource which can
replenish with the passage of time, either through
biological reproduction or other naturally recurring
processes.
Renewable resources are a part of Earth's natural
environment and the largest components of its ecosphere.
A positive life cycle assessment is a key indicator of a
resource's sustainability.

ALTERNATIVE ENERGY RESOURCES

Renewable Resource (contd.)

Renewable resources may be the source of power for
renewable energy.
However, the ability to renew implies a balance between
renewal and disappearance or consumption. The rate at
which the resource can replenish is an essential
consideration. If the rate at which it is consumed
exceeds it, renewal and sustainability will not be
ensured.

ALTERNATIVE ENERGY RESOURCES

Renewable Resource (contd.)

The term renewable resource also describes systems like
sustainable agriculture and water resources. Sustainable
harvesting of renewable resources (i.e., maintaining a
positive renewal rate) can reduce air pollution, soil
contamination, habitat destruction and land degradation.
Most renewable energies do not require water, thereby
reducing water consumption.

THE NEED FOR ALTERNATIVE ENERGY

RESOURCES

Renewable energy is important because of the benefits it provides.

The key benefits are:
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.

THE NEED FOR ALTERNATIVE ENERGY

RESOURCES

Renewable energy key benefits:

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.
Energy Security
Decreased dependence on foreign oil and gas
supplies.

CURRENT ENERGY DEMANDS AND RESOURCES

Source: www.commons.wikimedia.org

FORECAST OF WORLD ENERGY

CONSUMPTION

Source: www.theenergycollective.com

CURRENT ENERGY DEMANDS AND RESOURCES

Source: DOE Power Statistics 2011

AVAILABLE RENEWABLE SOURCES OF ENERGY

Most renewable energy comes

either directly or indirectly from
the sun.
Sunlight, or solar energy, can
be used directly for heating and
lighting homes and other
buildings, for generating
electricity, and for hot water
heating, solar cooling, and a
variety of commercial and
industrial uses.

Solar Thermal Panels

Monocrystalline
solar cell
The Solar Bowl in Auroville,
India,

AVAILABLE RENEWABLE SOURCES OF ENERGY

The sun's heat also drives the

winds, whose energy, is
captured with wind turbines.
A wind farm located in Manjil, Iran

Darrieus Wind Turbine

AVAILABLE RENEWABLE SOURCES OF ENERGY

Then, the winds and the

sun's heat cause water to
evaporate. When this water
vapor turns into rain or snow
and flows downhill into rivers
or streams, its energy can be
captured using hydroelectric
power.
Grand Coulee Dam is a hydroelectric gravity dam on
the Columbia River in the U.S. state of Washington

AVAILABLE RENEWABLE SOURCES OF ENERGY

Along with the rain and snow,

sunlight causes plants to grow.
The organic matter that makes
up those plants is known as
biomass.
Biomass can be used to
produce electricity,
transportation fuels, or
chemicals. The use of biomass
for any of these purposes is
called bioenergy.

A cogeneration plant in Metz, France. The

station uses waste wood biomass as
energy source, and provides electricity and
heat for 30,000 dwellings

AVAILABLE RENEWABLE SOURCES OF ENERGY

Hydrogen also can be found in many

organic compounds, as well as water.

It's the most abundant element on the

Earth. But it doesn't occur naturally as a
gas.
It's always combined with other
elements, such as with oxygen to make
water. Once separated from another
element, hydrogen can be burned as a
fuel or converted into electricity.

An algae bioreactor for hydrogen

production

AVAILABLE RENEWABLE SOURCES OF ENERGY

Not all renewable energy

resources come from the sun.
Geothermal energy taps the
Earth's internal heat for a
variety of uses, including
electric power production, and
the heating and cooling of
buildings.
Nesjavellir Geothermal Power Station in Iceland

AVAILABLE RENEWABLE SOURCES OF ENERGY

And the energy of the ocean's tides come from the

gravitational pull of the moon and the sun upon the Earth.
In fact, ocean energy comes from a number of sources.
In addition to tidal energy, there's the energy of the
ocean's waves, which are driven by both the tides and
the winds.
The sun also warms the surface of the ocean more than
the ocean depths, creating a temperature difference
that can be used as an energy source.
All these forms of ocean energy can be used to produce

AVAILABLE RENEWABLE SOURCES OF ENERGY

REFERENCES

Textbook

Renewable Energy Technologies, Jean-Claude Sabonnadiere, 2009

Web

http://www.renewableenergyworld.com/rea/tech/home
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alternative_energy
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Non-renewable_resource
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Renewable_energy
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hydrogen_production
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Solar_energy
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Solar_power