Here is some basic information about renewable energy sources like solar and wind energy. It is important to know as much as possible concerning the energy sources of the future.
Solar Energy
1. The sunlight that strikes the earth surface during an hour, if it could be harnessed, would be enough to power the world’s energy requirement for a year.
2. The Famous Albert Einstein did in 1921 win the Nobel Prize in Physics for one of his remarkable experiments with photovoltaics and solar power.
3. In the 1990 a world record was establish as a solar powered aircraft did for the first time fly with no fuel, across USA in 21 stages.
4. The radius of the earth is only 6,376 km compared to the sun with a radius of 696,000 km making the sun as much as 109 times larger than the earth.
5. The average temperature of the sun is 5,700 degree Celsius, whereas on earth the average temperature is 20 degrees celsius.
6. The atmosphere absorbs around 19 percent of solar radiation, while clouds reflect another 35 percent of the total solar energy. The effect is that the energy striking sea level is much lower, the peak power at sea level is accounted to be 1,020 w/m²
7. Conventional solar cell operates only on an efficiency of 15 percent while converting solar energy to electricity. This means that only an average of 0.45 to 1.35 KWh per square meter can be reaped per day. However, solar energy is steadily becoming more efficient and effective.
8. For Australia the average solar energy potential is more than 15,000 times more than the actual total energy requirements. With only a 15 percent efficiency conversion rate, the potential of solar energy is still around 2000 times above the actual Australian energy requirements.
9. In the African Sahara Desert, approximately 450 tarawatt (TW) of solar energy could be collected per annum, with solar cells of 15 percent efficiency. This exceeds global production of energy, which is now around 13 TW (renewable and non-renewable energy).
10. To replace fossil fuels it would only require 1 percent of earth’s deserts to convert the same amount of energy.
Wind Energy
Some History of Wind Energy:
1. Wind turbine was used in ancient times (5000 BC), some 7000 years ago, to propel boats in the Nile river.
2. The first known windmill is believed to have been used by the Persians (Iran), and it used large old stylish paddle wheels.
3. In approximately the year 200 BC, windmills were used to pump water as well to grind grain in the Middle East and in China.
Modern Facts Related To Wind Turbines
4. World’s largest wind turbine is currently in Hawaii, it is as tall as a skyscraper with twenty levels and spinning blades of the length of a football pitch.
5. A wind speed of only 14 mph is enough to convert wind energy to electricity.
6. A large wind turbine can generate sufficient electricity to supply 300 households.
7. The windiest country in Europe is the United Kingdom; they can supply enough energy through wind to power its country several times.
8. Wind is currently the fastest and most energetic growing source of renewable energy in the world.
9. Wind turbines do not operate below 8-10 Mph and are cut off during winds of 56 mph and above – safety reasons.
10. In Denmark, 20 percent of its energy requirement is produced from wind energy.
11. Since 2005 and onwards, wind energy has been providing for 1 percent of world’s energy requirements. United States was as per 2005 the third largest wind energy producers while Germany was leading the alternative energy challenge.
12. Specialists are suggesting that US could offset its use of coal-based energy by simply deploying wind energy in 10 of the windiest state.
13. Wind power could help to decrease carbon emission in the US by one third per year, if properly developed. This would help to meet the global carbon reduction target of 4 percent per year.
Wind Energy: interesting Facts for Households
14. Wind energy is affordable for all income groups. Small utility-scale turbines can provide financial gains of around $2,000 every year.
15. Wind turbines do also offer employment to thousands of families, who are working in the development and maintenance of these apparatuses.
16. A simple wind energy generator can be built at home using simple materials. This means that wind energy can be harnessed at a very low cost in comparison to other alternatives.
Potential of Wind Energy
17. Offshore energy farms could be built to supply enough energy for large nations such as the United States. The offshore potential capacity is higher than viable onshore potential energy, and offshore wind farms are more effective as winds are denser.
18. A footprint of 13 percent of our world’s land would have to be filled with wind turbines to supersede all other sources of energy. Basing ourselves on the fact that six huge wind turbine are set up per square kilometer, at 80 meter above sea level, as this is the optimum height for wind potentials.
19. The cost of wind turbines is currently falling. New developments such as vertical axis wind turbine are being tested to replace typical horizontal axis turbines.
20. Nowadays, wind turbines are becoming common even on skyscrapers and other buildings.
Read: Interesting Facts about Renewable Energy (Water, Geothermal and Bio-Energy): Part 1
Source: St Louis Renewable Energy
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