Renewable energy
The energy that is available from natural, renewable resources is referred to as renewable energy. Examples of these natural, renewable resources include the sun, wind, rain, tides, biomass materials and geothermal sources.
The role of renewable energy resources
The more that natural energy resources meet the demand of the UK population for electricity, the less it would seem that we need fossil fuel and nuclear power stations. However there is one flaw in this logic.
The UK uses electricity 24x7 with fairly predictable demand peaks and troughs. But electricity from renewable energy resources cannot match this demand pattern. It certainly cannot supply high demands from the UK population when the weather is cold or certain tv programmes are broadcast!
However much we use electricity from renewable energy resources we still have to be able to supply 100% of the potential UK demand for electricty from traditional power stations.
The advantages of electricity from renewable energy resources is that it is cleaner, does not use up resources and reduces the amount of fossil fuels being burnt in power stations and reduces the use of nuclear power stations.
Renewable energy resources
Energy generated from these renewable sources contributed nearly 20% of our planet's annual energy consumption. Over half of that is from the biomass which is all the plant and organic material. This bioenergy is released by simply burning the organic material for heat, light and energy.
Biofuels are also derived from the biomass material. This includes agrofuels which are produced from crops with a high sugar content or which contain certain vegetable oils.
An increasing important energy resource is municipal solid waste.
The wind is an important renewable energy resource. Wind turbines use the kinetic energy in the wind to generate electricity. Wind power is an essential part of the UK energy plan which requires that 20% of our energy will be generated from renewable resources. The UK is well positioned to take advantage of this renewable energy resource which could supply a significant amount of the UK electricity demand.
The UK has ruled out, on grounds of cost, the large tidal barrages which could have met a sizable percentage of the UK's need for electricity. However wave barrages and tidal power are reliable natural resources to generate electricty.
Solar power is simply the energy of the sun. The use of photovoltaics to capture this energy is becoming quite common in the UK. We see rooftop panels and road signs using photovoltaics everywhere. However the UK is not the best place for large scale solar power stations!
Geothermal power utilises heat sources within the planet to boil water. The resulting steam is used to generate electricity. This process is utilised in the UK in a limited way.
References
(renewable energy) - en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Renewable_energy