Until the 70’s, renewable energy systems were widely considered minor and declining power sources (Maugh, 1972). Since then, palpable advances in technologies, to produce an array of renewable energy-products (see Pandey, 2009), together with the promise of jobs and higher aggregated value to rural activities (see Domac, Richards, & Risovic, 2005), “greatly contributed to revise this setting” (Cowan, 2002; Petroleum, 2009; Sims, Hastings, Schlamadinger, A. Taylor, & Smith, 2006). Change started at a slow but steady pace, led mainly by the successive development of the economies of South-East Asia and Brazil. However, it was only with this decade’s instability and overall rise in fuel prices, amid concerns of climate change (Cox, Betts, C. D. Jones, Spall, & Totterdell, 2000) and of energy insecurity, that renewable energy systems were “recognized as valuable alternatives for power generation by the developed world” (McKendry, 2002a; Sims et al., 2006). While their policymakers have reacted to these troubles by introducing legal and financial instruments supporting investments in Renewable Energy Projects (REPs), their capital-markets provided ample funding for related R&D. Such measures allowed the United States to lead in investments in renewable energy in 2008, after having pushed almost $25 billion dollars into the sector – or 20% of the total global investment that year. “For the first time in recent history both the U.S. and the European Union added more power capacity from renewable sources than from fossil and nuclear (energy) combined” (Petroleum, 2009). Such a boost for the development of renewable energy projects has not been exclusive to wealthy nations, though. The increase in demand for REPs is a worldwide phenomeno... ... middle of paper ... ...uring fluctuations in asset utilization throughout its composing chain; thus allowing identification of bottlenecks to efficient use of assets through comparison with the industry observed standards. The analytical framework presented is formulated to be adaptable to all energy systems, nonetheless this thesis will focus on biomass-based REPs for 1) the current prominent contextual relevance of this type of renewable energy, 2) its comprehensive producing chain that makes it adequate for the mathematical modeling approach later adopted, and 3) the inevitable need for scope, as shall be explained next. All the same, this paper is neither intended to advocate for, nor against biomass-based energy. Two prototype applications of the presented framework are then performed using primary data collected from operating grid-connected biomass energy plants located in Brazil.
Palmieri, Nancy. “Off the Grid or on, Solar and Wind Power Gain.” USA Today 12 April 2006. Print.
It is used to measure the position of a firm in relation to its relative market share as well as its market growth. Based on this the situation where in all of the given four divisions of the firm are at different levels of performance can be evaluated in order to formulate a 5 year strategy plan. This can help in the creation of a portfolio where in returns are optimized by re investing in growth oriented sectors and divesting out of the sectors that are saturated and loss making for the firm.
The future of the United States solar energy industry will be shaped not only by economic growth, but also by the rate of declining oil resources and the global realization of the consequences of human induced climate change. Political responses to this realization in the United States include; new policies, legislature, and tax incentives to both businesses and private households to promote growth and investment in the solar power industry.
Clark, W. W & Cook, G (2012). Global Energy Innovation. Santa Barbara, California: Praeger, an Imprint of ABC-CLIO, LLC.
Energy is the basic necessity of daily life. Nowadays, dependence on fossil fuels for energy needs becoming lower in numerous countries due to the potential of renewable energy to supply sustainable energy to the huge populations in many developing countries who are short of clean and continues energy. Generally, renewable energy can be defined as energy that is derived from natural resources which are constantly replenished and theoretically inexhaustible. Fossil fuels on the other hand can be described as energy that cannot be renewed and will eventually diminish. Thus, in many developing countries renewable energy is the alternative energy to replace non-renewable energy or commonly known as fossil fuels. In addition, according to Sorensen (2004), there is a greater demand for renewable energy sources nowadays due to the uncertainty of fuel price rise in living expenses. Commonly, there are many types of renewable energy available in our world such as wind power, biomass energy, solar energy, hydroelectric power and geothermal energy. However, the main three example of renewable energy are hydroelectric power, solar and biomass energy (Refer to Figure 1 in Appendix 1).
Xiong, J. X., Ibbotson, R. G., Idzorek, T. M., & Chen, P. (2010). The Equal Importance of Asset
Among various options available for bio-energy, bio-diesel, bio-ethanol and biomass gasification are three major options, which have huge potential in India to develop as energy sources and where investments made would be economical. The objective of this Business Plan is to review the option of electricity generation through the use of biomass energy.
The Coming World Energy Crisis. (2005) Retrieved July 21, 2005 from Planet for life. Website:
Energy can be put into two broad categories Renewable energy and none renewable energy. Renewable energy sources can be reused continually as they are abundantly found in nature. All of them are non-polluting but devices used to collect the energy may impact the environment adversely. They are free but producing storage equipment or converting them into another form of energy may be costly.
In the search for alternatives to fossil fuels, scientists and policy makers have focused on three options: nuclear power, energy from biomass; and a combination of wind, water, and solar power. Nuclear power, however, is much more costly and runs the risk of having it fall into the wrong hands where it could be turned into a weapon of mass destruction. The third option entails wind turbines, photovoltaic power plants and rooftop systems, concentrated solar thermal power plants,...
Maskew Miller Longman. pp. 274-277, p. 280 Banks, D. & Schaffler, J. (2006) The potential contribution of renewable energy in South Africa. 2nd edition.
Wind is a form of solar energy. The term wind energy describes the process by which the wind is used to generate electricity or mechanical power. Wind turbines convert mechanical energy from the wind into electrical power. Wind turbines usually have three main parts. There are blades that connect to a central hub, a box behind the blades that contains the generator, and a long stem that connects to the ground. The way how it works is that the wind turns the blades, which spins a shaft that connects to a generator making electricity. After the electricity is produced it is sent through transmission lines to a substation that is sent to business and homes. For the sake of our planet, we must promote a renewable energy economy. Wind power can be a foundation of that sustainable energy future because it provides jobs in states that are building wind turbines, is a renewable energy source, and does not damage our environment. The environment will not be damaged by the pollution, the natural resources will not be used up, and there won’t be generating of hazardous wastes. Welcoming wind energy today will lay the foundation for a healthy tomorrow that will affect everyone in the United States. There are obstacles and challenges that will make it more difficult, but the environmental impact is well worth it to invest more money into wind energy.
With the depletion of fossil fuel resources comes speculations and debates about alternative energy sources. The world, including the Philippines, is practically dependent on a dwindling non-renewable source of energy. Today, experts are debating about and considering three options: Nuclear, Solar, or Wind Energy. Everyone has been accustomed to the bad image of nuclear energy as a result of the Chernobyl and Fukushima incidents above all others. The popular belief is that radiation from a nuclear meltdown is very harmful to humans and other living things—which is true—and that nuclear power plants are very dangerous and not ideal—which is not. According to Smith, et. al (n.d), all the nuclear disasters that ever occurred were caused by human error and natural disasters like tsunamis, not one because of system failure. Putting the false beliefs aside, with proper engineering and adequate maintenance by experts, a nuclear power plant is a very ideal and viable source of energy for the following reasons:
Using fossil fuels such as coal and oil is inefficient, dangerous, and otherwise a process that is known to eventually fail as a long lasting energy source. Yet, there is hope for the future of energy, this new hope has many shapes and forms, but requires a chance to be fully implemented in our everyday life. Such energy sources like solar energy, wind energy, geothermal energy, and hydro power are the key to our future. These energy sources are proven to be long lasting, safe, more reliable, and the next innovation. In short, all Americans should switch to renewable energy, resulting in a safer and more efficient world.
middle of paper ... ... g the Energy Revolution." Foreign Affairs. Nov/Dec 2010: 111. SIRS Issues Researcher.