Renewable energy is generated through our natural resources such as sunlight (Solar Power), Wind (Wind Turbines), Rain (PVDF – polyvinylidene Fluoride), Tides (Tidal Energy) and Geysers (Geothermal heat). 18 percent of the world power in 2006 was contributed by renewable energy.
Solar Power
South Africa’s solar radiation is considerably higher than that of the world, the intensity of our solar rays are almost double than that of Europe, allowing us to take full advantage of solar heating/power. 30 % of South Africa’s energy consumption is consumed by reheating of electric geysers. By the use of solar power we would be effectively freeing up 30% of consumed electrical energy. The cost /KW could easily be as low as R 22,500/KW in comparison to other renewable energy technologies which could be as much as R 100,000/KW.
Wind Power
Wind Turbines / Wind farms have become an ever increasing solution to renewable energy. Airflows are a deciding factor of the amount of energy generated by a wind turbine. They can generate between 600KW to 5MW per wind turbine. Globally, the long term technical potential of wind power is five times that of total global power or 40 times the global demand on power.
Rain Power
As we progress globally scientist are continuously on the lookout for new ways to harness the energy from our natural resources. Scientist have now developed a system that can harness the energy from falling raindrops by using polyvinylidene Fluoride (PVDF). The falling raindrops cause a vibration on the 25 micrometer thick PVDF. Electrodes in the PVDF are then used to recover the electrical charges from the vibrations. The recovery estimate is 1 Microwatt per large drop.
Tidal Energy
Tidal Energy is not yet widely used; however the oceanic tides are more predictable than airflow. Because of the density of water, the turbine can generate a consistent power flow even at low tidal flow. Tidal Power stations can now generate and contribute more than one gigawatt hour to the grid. Through later development and advanced componentry a single turbine will be able to generate enough power for 300 or 400 homes.
Geothermal Power
The earth has an abundance of greenhouse gasses trapped within it’s core. These can be extracted and harnessed for energy but not on a large scale due to the nature of the gasses. However the gasses are not as impactful to the environment as fossil gasses. Geothermal plants are commonly used for Industrial Heating and reheating of pools. About 10,715 megawatts of geothermal power is online in 24 countries and an additional 28 gigawatts of geothermal heating is installed for district heating, space heating, spas, industrial processes, desalination and agricultural applications.