ENERGY
CONTENT
Renewable energy sources :
solar,wind,hydro,biomass,geothermal
Fossil fuels vs. renewable sources
Environmental aspects (global
warming,CO2 emission,climate
changes..)
Other aspects(World’s Energy
Needs,Why fossils still used,energy
cost..)
EEC6120
Introduction to Electrical Supply
Department of Electrical Engineering (Haking Wong) and Installation
What is
Renewable
energy ?
© Vocational Training Council, Hong Kong. Renewable Energy Resources / Solar / page 3
• ‘ any sustainable energy
source that comes from natural
environment.’
What is Renewable
Energy?
As the name suggests, exists perpetually and in
abundant in the environment
Ready to be harnessed, inexhaustible
It is a clean alternative to fossil fuels
“energy that is derived from natural process that
are replenished constantly” -- defined by the
Renewable Energy Working Party of the
International Energy Agency
© Vocational Training Council, Hong Kong. Renewable Energy Resources / Solar / page 5
Natural energy sources
• SOLAR ENERGY (the power comes
from the sun and it can turned
into electricity and heat)
• WIND POWER (conversion of wind
energy into electricity)
• HYDRO POWER ( the power of
water)
• BIOMASS (organic materials from
plants)
Renew able v s. Non-renew abl e
Conventional energy sources
• These are fossil
fuels;coal,oil,petroleum and
natural gas.
• Fossil fuels,that contain
hydrocarbons, found top layer
of the Earth’s crust.
• ‘Non-renewable’ sources;they
cannot be produced again after
they have been used.
ENVIRONMENTAL ASPECTS
• Fossil fuels such as coal and oil contain
carbon,when they burn,CO2 is produced
and released into the atmosphere.This
causes an increase in the level of CO2 and
increase of CO2 level causes an increase
in average global temperature which is ‘
global warming ’ or GHE.It’s a threat for
the future of our planet.
• But, there aren’t any CO2 emission in
alternative sources.They have only little
harms when are used improperly.For
example, if a solar panel is charged in
night,it can cause chemical reactions and
harm,but it doesn’t threaten to whole
GLOBAL
THREAT
Can alternative energy supply the
World’s Energy Needs?