Renewable Energy Systems: Technology and Potential to Replace Other Energy Sources

Renewable Energy Systems: Technology and Potential to Replace Other Energy Sources
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Renewable Energy Systems: Technology and Potential to Replace Other Energy Sources
Renewable energy systems' implementation is becoming more common worldwide due to the primary focus on eliminating global warming. For an extended period, people have over-relied on conventional energy systems, and the most prominent one is burning fossil fuels. However, regardless of the power efficiency associated with conventional energy systems, they significantly pollute the environment. Renewable energy systems can be categorized into wind, geothermal, hydro, biomass, ocean, and solar (Dincer & Bicer, 2020). The most significant thing about renewable energy is that it is clean power that comes from natural processes and can be replenished constantly. For example, wind and sunlight are always there though they depend on the weather and the time of the day. As such, harnessing the power from nature can be used for lighting, transportation, and heating. The paper's primary aim is to focus on renewable energy systems, their related technologies, and the potential to replace conventional energy sources.


Figure 1: Solar Panels Installed on the Rooftops. (Source: /stories/renewable-energy-clean-facts)
Solar energy is one of the most common renewable power used for a long time by humans. Figure 1 above depicts solar panels that have been installed on the rooftops to provide energy for lighting, warming houses, heating water, and other things that people need daily. Based on the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), there is more solar energy that falls on the earth than individuals need (Shinn, 2018). Solar panels have photovoltaic (PV) cells made from silicon materials, which transform sunlight into electricity directly. In particular, distributed solar systems can generate enough electricity for use in homes. Solar farms use mirrors to converge sunlight to PV cells, generating power that can be supplied to thousands of homes. The United States of America (USA) has made a significant effort to implement solar energy and encourages people to buy solar panels and generate electricity for use at home. In 2020, the solar energy generation in the USA was 3%, and it is estimated to reach 20% by 2050 (U.S. Energy Information Administration, 2021). The graph below portrays the trend of solar power generation in the USA.


Figure 2: Annual Solar Energy Generation from 1990 to 2050 in the USA. (Source: /todayinenergy/detail.php?id=50357#:~:text=According%20to%20our%20Electric%20Power,from%20all%20sources%20in%202020.)
Figure 2 above depicts an increase in the adoption of solar energy in the USA. Notably, it forecasts that solar power generation will reach 5% in 2022 and 14% in 2035 (U.S. Energy Information Administration, 2021). As a result, solar facilities are becoming common in the commercial, industrial, and residential sectors.
Wind power is the other renewable energy system that is becoming popular in the USA. Specifically, it is generated when the wind is blowing and used to turn turbine blades, which in return triggers the electric generator to produce electricity. Although wind energy accounts for over 6% of the USA, it is perceived as the most affordable energy source in the USA (Shinn, 2018). The states known for wind energy are Texas, Iowa, California, Kansas, and Oklahoma. In most cases, turbines are set in open plains, water surfaces, or hilltops. The graph shown below portrays renewable energy electricity generation in the USA between 1950 and 2021.


Figure 3: Electricity Generation from Renewable Energy Sources between 1950 and 2021. (Source: /energyexplained/electricity/electricity-in-the-us.php)
Figure 3 depicts that electricity generation from renewable sources has been rising in the USA. In 2021, wind power accounted for approximately 9.2% of the total USA electricity generation (U.S. Energy Information Administration, 2022). As a result, electricity generated from wind energy is likely to increase in the future since more projects are underway to install turbines in numerous areas.
Hydropower is generated from the water where fast-moving water rapidly descends from a high point to a low point where a generator's turbine blades convert the water force into electricity. The diagram below is a good illustration of how electricity is generated from hydropower.


Figure 4: How Electricity is Generated from Hydropower. (Source: /special-topics/water-science-school/science/hydroelectric-power-water-use)
As can be seen in Figure 4, the water falling from a high point creates hydroelectric power. In most cases, a hydroelectric plant is built along with a larger river or dam (Water Science School, 2018). The water is stored in a reservoir to ensure that it is enough to generate hydropower when it reaches the turbine blades. Gravity is used to facilitate water falling at a high force. The turbine shaft is connected to a generator that produces electricity, which is supplied to the power lines to the station, where it is controlled and released to consumers. In 2021, the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) reported that approximately 6.3% of ...