Renewable energy is that source which would get naturally replenished and as such will never exhaust. The first among such is the solar energy. Earth is as long as the sun is a star and this would remain so for billions and billions of years. Air, the main cause of the wind is also in plentiful and cannot be thought of being spent up as long as the Earth is. Rain and tides have their store house in the oceans and there is water cycle to keep these affluent and kicking. We all know , the Earth has a molten core which is covered with a thick sheet of superheated mass and steam. The temperature on the surface of the Earth, its gravitational forces, its rotation around the Sun and most importantly it’s positioning with respect to the Sun and neighborhood planet is so delicately balanced that we cannot think of any diminishing factor associated with the geothermal heat at the heart of the Earth.
Mankind had nothing when it showed itself upon the surface of the Earth. Now, it has almost everything that it deserves and desires. Still, it is a fact that future possibilities are immense.
The entire universe is the manifestation of mass and energy. Call it mass-energy reversible transformation or simply opening and shutting of the black hole bags. The show goes on. However, in our quest for acquiring more power and elbow room in the existing distribution of ethical population, we have spent some of our heritance to the brink. We have lost civilizations, extinct flora and dwindling population of some beautiful creatures. We are becoming deficient in non-renewable energy which is our lifeline for the prsent. We cannot ever think of a life without heat, light and electrical energy. But it is a fact that the supply and demand ratio is getting overtly low. As ever as before , we have started looking elsewhere to compensate for dwindling biomass and petroleum resources through which we are getting our essential energy.
We are not limited by our ingenuity. We find that everywhere there is an energy resource infinitely affluent waiting for us to harness. On our sides is the air and wind energy coupled with tidal waves. Overhead is the solar energy. Geothermal energy at its maximum, is waiting to befriend us at the core of the Earth. Feedstock for cellulosic ethanol is greeting us all around.
It was not a recent dream converted into idea and later to practice. Primitive man and its survival instinct must be at the helm of affairs. Mankind is utilizing renewable energy since the time he started using his brain or to be more precise, intelligence. Green caves to live in, Sun ripened fruit to eat, baked grains and meat to supplement food needs, natural geyser to take health bath, and wind velocity to navigate boats.
At present, more than 20% global energy is derived from renewable resources of which around 3% of energy consumption came from new renewable such as solar, wind, geothermal, bio-fuel, small hydro-turbines and modern biomass. The growth rate of wind power is 30% per annum with an installed capacity of over 158 GW. The major producers and users are Asia, Europe and the U.S. Solar energy exploitation through photovoltaic installation crossed 21 GW. 354 MW solar thermal power plant in Mojave Desert is the biggest of its kind. The Geysers, California is the largest geothermal power plant with 750 MW rated capacity. Brazil produces Ethanol from cane sugar and such contribution to its national automotive fuel need is over 18%.
Renewable energy will have a supremacy over the non- renewable energy in very near future. RE requires investment during infrastructure building. Once the facility is complete, the raw material in the form of solar , wind and geothermal energy is free to avail. Their availability is infinite. RE will become cheaper as the technology improves while on the other hand NRE will become costlier as their technology has reached a saturation stage and their availability is becoming scarce. With increase in production and productivity coupled with market competition , RE will become available at affordable cost.
RE has an added advantage of being available in nooks and corners of the globe, however remote, under developed and rural these may be. There is still enormous area to be covered for further exploration of resources and to educate the available human resource not yet tapped due to their remoteness. Government may find it more profitable to tread into such areas as these have prospects of returning back government led incentives as manifold possibilities and monetary advantages. What more can be more suited for poverty alleviation than RE.
The silver lining is quite distinctly visible. Around 160 million population is using biomass cookers, 30 million are getting light and cooking foods from biogas fuel, 3 million use power from solar power photovoltaic system. Micro-hydro and mini grids are serving many areas. These are all remote and rural areas of the world.
We have now known that RE has no limitation and so is our bank of intelligence and inquisitiveness and ingenuity. New vistas of RE are being explored. We are looking forward to commercial exploitation of cellulosic ethanol , ocean and hot dry rock geothermal energy. Geo-magnetic energy is also shining like a bright star in the horizon of the future technologies. Just imagine, nano technology to be taking control of research and development in the renewable energy sector. You may have a panel of photovoltaic cells integrated in your cap to supply electrical energy or a solar panel lined waist coat on your body to keep warm while you are atop Mount Everest or in an unexplored region of rain forest.
We are learning to go back to the future of prosperity by obeying nature.
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