Renewable energy is a very reliable source of energy in most parts of the world, but the question on most conservationists and scientists minds is if South Africa could use renewable energy efficiently and effectively. Renewable energy could be the solution to many of the country’s economic problems such as the supply and demand of electricity, the costs of electricity, and the need for jobs in South Africa.
In this essay I will be explaining the expenses and down sides to renewable energy, and i will be speaking about the positives of renewable energy. I will then decide which i think is more economically viable and better for the country in its current economic state.
What is renewable energy?
The Oxford dictionary defines renewable energy as; Energy from a source that is not depleted when used, such as wind or solar power. There have been many inventions over the past few years to simulate the effects of wind or an ocean current. These options may not be economically viable as they are using man power and electricity to create an effect that nature is supposed to make. Another source, http://arena.gov.au , says that renewable energy is energy which can be obtained from natural resources that can be constantly replenished. I believe that both of these sources are factual but i believe that the over usage of machines to power these renewable energy stations may prove pointless and ineffective.
What form of energy is south africa currently using?
South africa currently uses coal to power their stations to generate electricity. This is very laborous and takes lots of time and work force to keep the country afloat in terms of electricity usage and in terms of supply and demand, which effects the wages of the workers as well ...
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...f energy are being made and if we were to implement the use of renewable energy sources we would need a location that didnt damage any land or destroy homes.
Conclusion
I believe that we should remain using Coal energy as we already have Coal plants in many areas of the country. I believe that it would be too much of a hassle for South Africa to change their plans in terms of electricity as the country is struggling as it is using Coal, and the level that renewable energy is at in terms of its reliability and cost effectiveness is far to low in my eyes to be implemented as the country’s energy source.
So to finish i believe that South Africa should continue to use Coal as their main source of energy, but should invest in renewable energy for the future when renewable energy is a more reliable and economically viable source of energy, because at the moment it isnt.
2. Personally i am for wind farms and in my opinion. I think that wind energy has a great potential not only is wind energy very reliable and sustainable. it is also not as expensive as some at the other types of renewable green energy sources.
“Is renewable energy an economically viable option for South Africa?” – In the long run yes, however, the costs to set up and maintain this clean energy plants are excessive and current schemes would have to be monitored so that costs to set up the plants could be motivated.
The reason we don’t replace coal energy is because it produces a profitable amount of energy, just like most cars get fairly good mpg. While solar and wind energy are not efficient and take a ton of sun and wind as well as entire farms of panels or mills to produce the same amount of energy, which goes back to solar and wind being more expensive.
South Africa has a long way to go before externalities associated with energy generation are internalized into the cost or eliminated completely. The entire electricity supply sector needs to be restructured towards the renewable energy sector. However, economic instruments need to be implemented before the sector can move away from coal-intensive electricity production.
Renewable energy is derived from natural resources such as wind, rain, sunlight, waves, and much more. Over the years, engineers have found various efficient ways to use and harness the renewable energy. One of the main advantages of this type of energy is the fact that it can be used for a long period of time without it being dispatched. Also, this type of energy is cleaner and much more beneficial to the environment since it results in a very little amount of greenhouse gas emission. Renewable energy is also cheaper and more affordable compared to any other sources of generated energy. Due to these advantages of the renewable energy, engineers have decided to find more efficient ways of using renewable energy. Over the past couple of decades, engineers have been successful at finding more efficient ways to harness and manipulate the renewable
Non renewable energy, such as fossil fuel, is used all over the world. Big part of the population assumes that fossil fuel is a reliable source of energy, easy to obtain, and is relatively cheap. On the other hand, fossil fuel is a non renewable energy, which means that we can use it only once. Also, this burning fossils are not good for the environment and are the main reason of the global warming. In this era a lot of new technologies have been invented. Although not every created invention has been for good, renewable sources such as, solar, wind, and human power are a good alternative of energy. Despite some people thinking that solar energy isn’t helpful and it’s only a bad investment; solar energy is the best way to reduce the greenhouse gases and decelerate the global warming, also, is a good investment and it will help you save money in a short term, and unlike the burning fossil fuel, is not harmful for human’s health.
In my opinion, coal is not a good fuel to use for the production of electricity. I believe this because, even though the way coal is mined and burned as been improved, there is an impact on the environment, which results in global warming. There are many different sources that can be used to produce electricity, including; solar power, wind power, hydroelectricity, geothermal electricity and biomass. All of these examples have a smaller, if not no, impact on the environment and are sustainable.
Our country is currently suffering energy-wise, we have been powering with inefficient sources for years now and the harm that it is doing to the country has started to become apparent. Renewable energy is the only way to stop, or at the very least set back the inevitable downfall of our ecosystem. I think that the next big breakthrough for renewable energy is implementing off-grid communities that use renewable sources as their main sources of power, so that we can potentially escape the energy rut that we got ourselves stuck in.
...wable energy and that is why energy providerrs cost more than avrage suppliers and this is why people go for the much cheaper vertion wich is coal or fossel fuel and not the much cleaner vertion, renewable energy although there is one type of energy that does not cost much witch is wind energy at 1.25 ZAR/kWh compaired to soalr energy at 2.10 ZAR/kWh it is realitive ly cheap to manufacture and this is why South Africa is currently heading in this direction but it is still nowhere near the R0.31 per kWh that eskom offer off of coal and nuclear power.Despite all of this South africa is one of the perfict places in tearms of its climate that can provide the right conditions for renewable energy like wind solar and hydro and this is why we should be taking advantage of this but unfortunatley we are not and less than ten persent of our energy comes form renuable energy₃.
In chapter thirteen of our book, Environment by Raven and Berg, it shows us just how important renewable energy sources are. Currently the United States of America thrives on the use of fossil fuels and nuclear power. The main problems with these types of fuel are that they are both limited and can be extremely harmful to our environment. They cause global warming, air pollution, acid rain, and oil spills (Environment), and not only that, but in the grand scheme of things, these sources really aren’t even that cheap of a fuel source. There are many alternatives to these all but outdated fuel sources.
Renewable energy are resources which are replenished on a quickly such as sunlight, wind, water, and geothermal heat. While seeming quite modern and new, most forms of renewable energy have been around for hundreds of years: The first hydroelectric plant was built in Appleton, Wisconsin in 1882, later in 1888 the first windmill to generate electricity was built in Ohio by Charles F. Brush. Surprisingly people used the sun to power machinery 32 years earlier, the first solar powered machine was built in 18...
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.
South Africa in most recent times has been plagued by an energy crisis. Due to the high energy demands placed on Eskom, it has been unable to cope with this high demand for energy and therefore unable to meet the energy demands of the domestic consumer. This has consequently led to unplanned power outages and scheduled load shedding by Eskom to ease the load demand. This is an obvious inconvenience for the citizens, it is therefore in their own best interest to assist in resolving the crisis we now face. Energy optimisation and energy load reduction of each individuals household thereafter, is the most effective way to solve the electricity shortage crisis in the country. Although extensive measures have been implemented in raising awareness to this issue, either through advertisements or various ‘go-green’ campaigns, majority of the population still remain in the dark with regards to the amount of energy they consume inefficiently. This report is designed to address this problem, in doing so enlightening the reader on how to use energy efficiently taking into account their specific needs.
Our country has the greatest potential in the world for alternative energy – we have excellent sunshine for solar power and areas of the country that would work well for wind farms. Build new power plants, Minimize electricity theft, Stop corruption and Use renewable energy sources.
Electrical energy plays critical role in the development of South Africa’s economy, historically South Africa relied primarily on coal for electricity generation, making the electricity sector one of the dominant greenhouse gas emitters(), however these nation has a huge potential to produce cleaner electricity through renewable resources. The challenge at the moment is that those sources are still very expensive and coal is still the cheapest source to produce electricity (Kinghorn, 2014)