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[October thematic report] <Energy Generation> |
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by Heidy Michell Albor Vargas | 19-10-2022 02:45
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Renewable energy. 1) introducing renewable energy. Every second that passes, we pollute the environment, whether through Carbon Dioxide (CO2) emissions, the use of electricity and the Internet, habits or simply with everything we do. Many of these forms of pollution occur unconsciously, but the real issue occurs when we do nothing to reverse the damage we caused. Renewable energy or clean energies are abundant resources that do not produce greenhouse gases, so these powers have become fundamental in achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The sun in one hour sends enough energy to supply the planet for a year. Every second, it converts about 564 million tons of hydrogen into 560 million tons of helium, which means about four million tons of matter become solar energy. Taking into account, that the earth receives approximately 173,000 Terawatts of energy per day, it is much more than the consumption of the world which is equivalent to 16 Terawatts. As a technological society, we depend heavily on technology and cannot get rid of it, but changing the production model is our alternative. Approximately 85% of the consumed energy comes from fossil fuels, mainly petroleum. Renewable energy is a revolution, a great change that will make us move forward as a society, get rid of environmental selfishness and transform our lives. 2) technological advances and limits at the moment. It is necessary to clarify that we are already working on different clean energies: solar energy, wind energy, tidal power, nuclear fusion (the so-called energy of the stars), hydraulic energy, wave energy, biomass and biogas. Renewable energy should not be a utopia, as there are undoubtedly alternatives and a lot of work to do. We have reached a point where the main limitations are no longer technological or scientific, but political and economic. It is relatively easy to pronounce in favour or against nuclear energy, to buy a solar panel, to demand that CO2 emissions be reduced or to look for disadvantages to any option; but having the command of directing the budget and prioritizing clean energies before other state projects, needs to be a task of a person with a good global sense of the situation. For renewable energies to take us on the straight path we need responsible leaders in industrialized countries. Science and technology have for years had a pragmatic function in society, but they require diligent and competent management to meet our goals as a sustainable society. Renewable energy is changing our lives, applied solar energy, day by day improves its logistic facilities and recycling characteristics. I even heard about a Mexican company called GreenFluids, created by a biotechnologist who realized that solar panel materials are not easily recyclable. Most of them would become obsolete and damage in a proportional way to their benefit. The alternative is a microalga that captures solar radiation, generating oxygen and absorbing carbon dioxide. In other words, a bio panel based on nanoparticles impacted by solar radiation generate electrical energy while the photosynthesis of the microalgae generates O2. In addition, anaerobic digesters lead to the production of biogas that provides electricity and heat. In my country, they are not yet in operation, but there are nations such as the United Kingdom that have plants working and processing 30,000 tons of food waste per digester in 1 year. In the hydroelectric sector, Europe has made great progress in recent years, investing in projects such as FitHydro (Fish Friendly Innovative Technologies in Hydropower) and X-Flex Hydro (Hydropower Extending Power System Flexibility). Finally, in wind energy, as in the previous ones, the advances in the private sector have been surprising us since years ago. An example is a project that began in 2019 by the Danish company "Vestas" and the Japanese company "Mitsubishi" developed a prototype off-shore wind turbine of 9 MW of power that had the capacity to produce in just 1 day the amount of energy equivalent to what would consume a home in the United States for two decades. It was designed for wind speeds between 12 and 25 meters per second. The advance of renewable energies is unstoppable but requires support and appropriate performance. 3) pros and cons of nuclear energy But it would be an offence to talk about clean energy without mentioning nuclear fusion, which is produced through nuclear reactions; the main example is undoubtedly the stars, which are born from nuclear fusion in which 4 hydrogen nuclei are transformed into 1 helium nucleus. The key to the energy heroine of the century is the famous equation of Albert Einstein E=mc2. Why the heroin of the century? Because it is clean, cheap and unlimited. It sounds perfect but still has drawbacks which become the mainly CERN objective. The JET prototype is a toroidal magnetic chamber that has been in operation and in constant maintenance. So, I would like to mention one of the most brilliant minds of the 20th century, Stephen Hawking, who in his book "Brief Answers to the Big Questions" says: "I would like to see the development of nuclear fusion to provide an unlimited amount of clean energy and the move to electric cars. Nuclear fusion would become practical and inexhaustible, with no pollution, no climate change." It is clean, economical and natural. Likewise, its production is constant and enormous per plant. The main disadvantage is its incomplete development for now. In China, the EAST prototype maintained the plasma at a temperature of 120 million degrees for 101 seconds, with a maximum temperature of 160 million degrees that lasted 20 seconds. And on December 30 of the same year, although the temperature reached was lower, almost 70 million degrees, the operation lasted about 18 minutes. But we do not lose expectancy, on December 21, 2021, JET heated a gas formed by deuterium and tritium to 150 million degrees and kept it stable for five seconds (in fusion), generating a total of 59 megajoules of energy, about daily electricity consumption of a house in Mexico. Another disadvantage of nuclear fusion is its acceptance, which is understandable because we have seen catastrophes related to it. Nevertheless, the fear of change, of the unknown, has been part of history, people were afraid of technology and today our lives revolve around it, its advances and its applications. It is like anything else, its impact leaves other areas vulnerable, but it is our responsibility to use it and focus on making sure that these advances make the world greener and not a bloodier battlefield. The key is to work in the present to improve the future and not to be afraid of change because nuclear fusion is not uninhabited cities or constant radiation (as a fact we can say that eating a banana produces more radioactive emissions than living for a year next to a nuclear power plant). 4) the impacts of fossil fuels on the environment Finally, we conclude with the enemies of the century, fossil fuels. They helped us a lot but now their use is affecting us. When fossil fuels are burned, they release carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases which, in turn, trap heat in our atmosphere, making them the main culprits of global warming and climate change. That is why we must find efficient and effective alternatives that do not compromise the future and move forward with the innovation that undoubtedly under the right use, proper development and adequate support, will lead us to a new era, a green era. Heidy Michell Albor Vargas :) (The Rights of the photography belong to the Univesidad Autonoma de Mexico) |
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2 Comments
Hi, Bethelhem Ayalew Kebede!
This is your mentor, Yoon.
You did well in explaining why renewable energy is needed, the breakthroughs and limitations of renewable energy technology, ups and downs of nuclear energy, and why utilizing fossil fuels is not sustainable. You also did well in providing reliable sources to support your argument.
Great job on writing the thematic report.
I am looking forward to reading your following report!
Posted 21-10-2022 17:29
Hello, this is your mentor Minkyung.
Thank you for giving so much insightful information on renewable energy in every aspects.
However, I think your report would have been better if you adjusted the order of your paragraphs. For example: First, explain the use and impacts of fossil fuels, then introduce renewable energy as a way of replacement. Then, introduce technological advances at the moment, followed by the pros and cons of nuclear energy beginning with a sentence such as 'one type of renewable energy that is currently being discussed is nuclear energy'. Last, wrap up your report by demonstrating the limits and/or your predictions on the future of renewable energy.
Great job writing this month's thematic report, and keep up the work :)
Posted 20-10-2022 12:06