Global Renewable Energy

Gerald Tan / 2 P4May 20111

What is renewable energy?Comes from natural resources E.g. Sunlight, wind,

rain and tidesHarnessed from resources that are naturally

replenishedClean energy that does not pollute the environment

Introduction

Why renewable energy?Drivers of renewable energy

Climate change concerns (a result of pollution) Escalating oil prices Maximum rate of global petroleum extraction is reached

(following which the rate of production enters terminal decline).

Increasing government support E.g. renewable energy legislation, incentives

Commercialization

Introduction

Main Forms of Renewable Energy

• Renewable energy now comprises about a quarter of global power-generating capacity (estimated at 4,800 Gigawatt in 2009) and supplies some 18% of global electricity production.

• A breakdown of worldwide renewable power capacities shows 3 main renewable energy sources that contribute to more than 80% of that total capacity:-

Wind energy – this is the fastest growing source of renewable energy with a 41% increase in output capacity from 2008 to 2009.

Hydro energy – this is an established renewal energy source and holds about 15% share of the global electricity from renewable energy since 2008. It is still growing steadily at 3% per annum.

Solar Energy – this is the source with the most growth potential given its decreasing cost of commercial production.

Renewable Power Capacities:Developing World, EU and Top 6 Countries, 2009

3 Main Forms of Renewable Energy

Wind powerEnergy from airflows that run

wind turbines

HydropowerEnergy from moving water

that is harnessed

Solar powerEnergy derived from the sun

Renewable Energy – Wind Power

Electrical

Energy

• Wind flowing through the turbine blade exerts pressure on the blade and causes it to spin.

• The blade is connected to a low speed shaft (18 revolutions per min)

• To increase the number of revolutions, a large gear at the end of this shaft is connected to a smaller gear. The smaller gear can spin up to 1800 revolutions per minute.Power Generated

Kinetic Energy(Wind)

Energy Source

Mechanical Energy

(via turbine)

Process – How is energy generated?

Renewable Energy – Hydro Power

Process – How does a hydraulicTurbine works?

Electrical

Energy

Kinetic Energy(Water)

Mechanical Energy

(via turbine)

Energy Source

• Water flows through a penstock to a turbine-driven generator below the dam.

• A hydraulic turbine converts flowing water into mechanical energy. The force of water on the turbine blades spins the turbines, which, in turn, drive a rotor (the moving part of a generator). The rotor contains coils of wire, wound on an iron frame to create a strong magnetic field.

• The above operation of a generator is based on the principles discovered by Faraday i.e. when a magnet is moved past a conductor, it caused electricity to flow.

• As the rotor’s magnetic field sweeps past the generator’s stationary coil, it converts mechanical energy into electrical energy.

Share of Global Electricity from Renewable Energy, 2008 - Hydro Power is the biggest share

of global electricity from renewable energy

Renewable Energy – Solar Power

• Solar collector panels contain Photovoltaic (PV) cells that are made of a semi-conductor material (usually crystalline silicon that absorbs sunlight).

• Top layer of silicon is treated to make electricity negative; the back layer is treated to make electricity positive.

• When sunlight knocks electrons loose from the silicon, electrons move up from the bottom layer of silicon and crowd the electrons in the top layer

• Electrons freed from the top layer are collected by electrical contacts on the surface of the top layer and routed through an external circuit

• Thus providing power to the electrical system attached to the panels

Solar Energy (The Sun)

Light Energy - (photovoltaic process) Heat Energy

(thermal process)

• Solar collector panels concentrate sunlight to heat a heat transfer fluid to a high temperature.

• The hot heat transfer fluid is then used to generate steam that drives the power conversion subsystem, producing electricity. Thermal energy storage provides heat for operation during periods without adequate sunshine.

Conversion of Sunlight into Electricityeither via the

Photoelectric or Thermal effect

Solar Energy Converting System

Global trends reflect strong growth and investments across all renewable energy in the last 5 years. Solar photovoltaic industry has grown by an average of 60 percent every year for the

past decade, increasing 100-fold since 2000; Wind power capacity grew an average of 27 percent annually; Solar hot water by 19 percent annually; and Ethanol production by 20 percent annually.

During the past several years, there was much more active government policy around this sector. More than 100 countries had enacted some type of policy target and/or promotion policy related to renewable energy, up from 55 countries in early 2005. Singapore has in particular committed to build a target 50 000 m2 of photovoltaic

facilities in residential/commercial buildings by year 2013.

Greatly increased investment from both public-sector and development banks is also driving renewable development, particularly from banks based in Europe, Asia, and South America.

In the wake of the recent Japan Tsunami and nuclear energy crisis, renewable energy is becoming an even more “critical mass”.

Renewable energy development has the potential to create new industries and generate millions of new jobs. Jobs from renewables now number in the hundreds of thousands in several countries. Globally, there are an estimated 3 million direct jobs in renewable energy industries.

ConclusionFuture Trends of Renewable Energy and Implications for Singapore

Renewable Energy Is Here to Stay...

Can Singapore…Use hydropower?Use wind power?Use solar power?

• Singapore does not have very fast-moving river• Singapore does not have highly undulating landscape• Singapore does not have forceful and raging waters• Singapore does not have huge rural land parcels to build

wind mills• Singapore is a small country and end user of energy

compared to developing countries such as China and India

Conclusion

The generation of renewal energy requires extensive capital funding. Total investments in renewable energy capacity (excluding large hydro

power plants) was about $150 billion in 2009. This is up from the revised $130 billion in 2008. Given that energy is a precious global

commodity, most of such renewable projects are decided on and funded by global organizations.

Given the above conditions, Singapore is not a likely candidate in the shortlist of big capital intensive energy base.

Singapore however can be a contender in small scale solar photovoltaic power generation.

Conclusion

• Sufficient beam normal radiation in SingaporeSolar technologies using concentrating systems for electrical production require sufficient beam normal radiation, which is the beam radiation which comes from the sun and passes through the planet's atmosphere without deviation and refraction. Appropriate site locations are normally situated in arid to semi-arid regions. On a global scale, the solar resource in such regions is very high. More exactly, acceptable production costs of solar electricity typically occur where radiation levels exceed about 1,700 kWh/m²-yr.

• Growth in popularity and interest in small scale solar systemsEven as the average size of worldwide photovoltaic projects increases, there is growing interest in very small-scale, off-grid systems, particularly in developing countries. These systems account for only some 5 percent of the global market, but sales and total capacity have increased steadily since the early 1980s.

Singapore however can be a contender in small scale solar photovoltaic power generation.

Conclusion

• Good infrastructural Support System- Sufficient water supply to cover the demand for cooling water of its steam cycle and a backup fuel available for granting firm power during the times when no solar energy is available. - Good access to roads. - Skilled personnel available to construct and operate the plants. 

• Price Parity with Fossil fuel with Improved TechnologyBy 2009, there are 84 small scale solar systems In Africa, Asia, and Latin America, the hunger for modern energy is driving the use of PV for mini-grid or grid-less systems, which in many instances are already at price parity with fossil fuels.

Wind power- Technology trends include new growth in off shore development, the growing popularity of distributed, small scale grid-connected turbines, and new wind projects in a much wider variety of geographical locations around the world and within countries. Firms continue to increase average turbine sizes and improve technologies, such as with gearless designs.

Grid-connected solar PV- The industry has been responding to price declines and rapidly changing market conditions by consolidating, scaling up, and moving into project development. Thin-film PV has experienced a rapidly growing market share in recent years, reaching 25 percent. A growing of number of solar PV plants are so-called “utilityscale” plants 200-kW and larger, which now account for one-quarter of total grid-connected solar PV capacity.

Solar hot water/heating - China continues to dominate the world market for solar hot water collectors, with some 70 percent of the existing global capacity. Europe is a distant second with 12 percent. Virtually all installations in China are for hot water only. But there is a trend in Europe toward larger ‘combi’ systems that provide both water and space heating; such systems now account for half of the annual market.

Conclusion

On going Technological Enhancement and Breakthrough in Renewable Energy

Harnessing wave energy on the surface of the oceans Harnessing heat produced by underground volcanic activities into

energy Harnessing underwater currents into energy

ConclusionOn going Technological Enhancement and Breakthrough in Renewable Energy

Energy harnessed from Human Emotions??? From the movie “Monster Inc.” http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kZKZxpwBPG0&feature

=related

When we harness the possibility of technology and design, there is no

limit to what we can accomplish

References

http://www.ren21.net/Portals/97/documents/GSR/REN21_GSR_2010_full_revised%20Sept2010.pdfhttp://www.alternative-energy-news.info/technology/wind-power/wind-turbines/http://www.iqmagazineonline.com/current/pdf/Pg20-25_IQ_32-Enabling_Optimal_Utilization_of_Solar_Photovoltaic_Power.pdf

http://www.powerfromthesun.net/Book/chapter01/chapter01.htmlhttp://www.nccc.gov.sg/renewables/renewables.shtmhttp://www.epd.gov.hk/epd/SEA/eng/file/energy_index/singapore.pdf

References