Welcome to Sustainable Energy Resources
Sustainanble Energy Resources looks at the way that the UK, and to an extent Europe, is planning to switch to generating electricity from sustainable resources.
Sustainable energy is energy that can be used without depleting the energy resource that is available. For example, gas, coal and oil are not sustainable because burning these fuels uses that amount of fossil fuels forever. Renewable energy resources are not consumed when the energy within them is harnessed to do work.
The 'work' that is done using renewable energy resources is generally heating water, operating machines, operating turbines and generators to produce electricity or some such activity. An exception is with photovoltaics which produce electricity directly from solar energy. By definition, sustainable energy is renewable energy.
Using fossil fuels is a problem for various reasons including the fact that whatever the reserves are globally, all countries will eventually come to the end of their fossil fuel reserves.
The definition of 'renewable energy' allows the generation of electricity from nuclear power although this still continues to be a controversial subject with many people!
The objective of using sustainable energy resources is to generate electricity for public consumption. Of course dams and reservoirs also supply water to the population as well as allowing hydro electricity to be generated.
Some examples of sustainable energy resources include: biofuels, solar power, photovoltaics, wind energy, wave energy, water power, tidal energy and geothermal power. Of course the latter two (tidal and geothermal) are not from solar energy sources!
Note that sustainable energy sources may also include technologies that improve energy efficiency.
The use of fossil fuels has had a consequence on the environment of planet Earth. Carbon dioxide (CO2) and nitogen oxides (NOX) and other substances are released into the atmosphere. Some of these consequences, such as smogs, are visible to us. Other consequences are ill health and a dirty environment. Fossil fuels also make a major contribution to global warming which is leading to climate change problems.
A global economy
A global economy built on sustainable energy requires all the nations of Earth to be involved in switching to renewable energy and to stop using fossil fuels or at least, to stop creating CO2 emissions. This objective will involve governments throughout the planet to work together!
It also requires a serious drive to reduce electricity consumption. But electrical devices need electricity! Most households need to consume electricity and serious attempts to use electricity more efficiantly go hand in hand with developing new renewable energy resources.
The Household
In the UK a large amount of the electricity generated by our power stations is transmitted to households for people to use. But are they using it efficiently and responsibly? The equivalent of one UK power station is required to generate the electricity to turn on all the stand-by red lights. So I would suggest that the answer to the question is 'No'!
more on households
The motor vehicle
Are people in the UK prepared to give up their cars and walk everywhere and use public transport? I suspect not! But motor vehicles burn fossil fuel and release CO2 and pollutants which we all breathe in!
click here www.buyingthebestgreencar.com
Latest News
Warning that production of oil could peak by 2020
A study by the UK Energy Research Council indicates that the global production of oil could peak by 2020 and go into decline.
This would then mean that half the known oil reserves have been extracted and used.
There is still plenty of oil to be extracted but there is now a time limit by which to have replacement technologies ready and in use or we could run out of energy!
US bill 'crucial' for climate talk
After keeping us waiting longer than a diva with a headache, potentially seminal legislation on climate change has finally made it to the floor of the US Senate.
UK government plans to cut UK nuclear subs
The prime minister has told the United Nations that he is willing to cut the UK's fleet of Trident nuclear submarines from four to three.
