Homework 7 - Renewable Overview. Social Sciences Coursework

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Renewable Energy Overview
Introduction
1 No.
2 Renewable energy provides about 10% of our needs.
3 Electricity and liquid fuel.
4 Yes
5 Efficiency and energy transportation.
6 Other renewables are limited by availability and location.
7
* Developing advanced technologies that capture energy more efficiently.
* A complete overhaul of the current infrastructure.
8 6%
9 We need __Super conductor_______________ materials.
10 We need _____ Lithium-ion______________ batteries. (what type?)
One promising solution is to convert solar energy into __ Chemical _____________ energy.

* Top scientific minds around the world are determined to find breakthroughs to these problems
* Governments and businesses have invested in technologies that harness the energy around us.
Environmental Impacts of Renewable Energy Technologies
* Less global warming
The use of non-renewable energy cause harm to the environment by releasing gases such as carbon dioxide, methane that are heavy contributors to global warming. Therefore, a switch to renewable energy will reduce the rate of global warming.
* Improvement in public health.
Renewable energy reduces breathing problems, neurological damage, heart attacks, cancer, and premature death linked to the excessive pollution of the environment by non-renewable energy.
* They are lasting.
Renewable energy such as winds, the sun, and water is inexhaustible as they are quickly replenished sources of energy.
* Economic benefits.
Renewable energy is more labor-intensive, meaning more jobs are created for each unit of electricity generated. Also, clean energy will cause a positive ripple effect to industries that deal with environmental pollution.
* Stable energy prices
Despite having a significant upward investment, renewable energy is low cost. Combined with the availability of energy, the prices can be sustained for an extended period.
* Reliability and resilience.
The rise of technological storage solutions means that renewable energy is easily implemented in more flexible grid systems.
What is CO2e?
1 This refers to calculating the potential of global warming of the energy sources through a life cycle assessment.
2 CO2e represents a standard ratio that converts other types of gases into the equivalent of CO2. Therefore, it is a more helpful measure because it includes other gases such as methane, nitrous oxide, and F-gases to measure fossil energy's overall impact on the environment.
Jobs and other economic benefits
Renewable energy.
Stable energy prices
Renewable energy.
Reliability and resilience
1 Renewable energy.
2
* Modular or decentralized systems are less prone to large-scale failure.
* The systems are spread over a large geographical area meaning severe problems like weather effects will not damage other infrastructure.
3 Renewable energy.
Barriers to Renewable Energy Technologies
1
* Capital cost.
Infrastructure for renewable energy is expensive. Water and wind energy are easy and cheap to operate; however, the bulk of the cost stems from the capital cost of installing infrastructure such as solar panels.
* Siting and transmission.
The sitting of renewable energy infrastructure is a challenging process. There need to be negotiations into contracts, permits, and community relations, consequently increasing operations' price. Transmissions are also expensive since the adequate infrastructure is required to transport the energy.
* Market entry.
New energy startups and proposals face the issue of market entry. The competition with established players in the energy sector is unfair; therefore, new technology by startups can be stifled or bought and overly commercialized.
* Inequality in the energy sector.
This barrier ties into the market entry. Since the explosion of fossils used in the 1970s, there are selected parties that dominate the sector. After becoming aware of climate change, they have invested heavily and leveraged their influence to spread misinformation about climate change. Therefore, any attempt to do away with fossil energy is bound to meet strong resistance.
* Misconceptions.
The misinformation about climate change has been effective as people today are divided on the issue. So too, are the persistent myths spread around about the reliability aspect of renewable energy.
2 Although renewable energy facilities are _inexpensive________________ (expensive or inexpensive) to operate, they can be ____expensive_____________ (expensive or inexpensive) to build.
3 Renewable energy.
4 True.
Siting and transmission
1 Centralized sources rely on few high outputs power plants, while the decentralized model depends on using a higher geographical area. Centralized sources are effective in their power supply; however, they are exhaustible and the main contributor to global warming. Decentralized systems are resilient; however, they require enough sitting and effective transmissions.
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