What Affects the Feasibility of Renewable Resources in Particular Areas of the World?

What Affects the Feasibility of Renewable Resources in Particular Areas of the World? The quality of societal quality of life and wealth are fundamentally driven by energy. For many countries, cheat and abundant fossil energy has been relied on for over a century with demand increasing with industrialization and the standard of living of the people who live there. As a result, various issues and challenges have risen around the use of this energy source, prompting change in the way we use and supply energy (Bauen, 2006). A reduction in emissions is the root of the significance of the resources discussed in this essay, one particular emission they reduce as oppose to fossil fuels is carbon dioxide. Naturally present in the atmosphere, carbon dioxide () is part of the Earth’s natural carbon cycle which circulates carbon through the atmosphere, oceans, soils, plants, and animals (US Environmental Protection Agency, 2013). is the primary contributor to greenhouses emitted by human activity including burning fossil fuels (coal, natural gas and oil) (US Environmental Protection Agency, 2013). In a lot of places in the world, energy generation alone is responsible for a large percentage of the areas greenhouse emissions, for example in the UK, 86% of its carbon dioxide emissions originate from burning fossil fuels to produce energy (Carbon Trust, 2010, p.3). Evidently, conventional practices of getting our energy from coal and fossil fuels which release dangerous amounts of into our ecosystems and atmosphere, are threatening the ability of future generations to live on a planet with clean air, and a reliable abundance of energy and resources.
In response to the pending changes mentioned by Bauen (2009), the World Wildlife Fund (WWF), a 50 year old non-government organization working in 100 countries around the world in effort to resolve issues regarding conservation and the environment, has come up with an 100% renewable energy vision of the world for 2050 (Singer, 2011, p. 11). In The Energy Report, along with a detailed analysis of this vision, the WWF gives a list of suggestions as to how the world may achieve this vision, the first being the transition to clean, and sustainable energy; second the depletion of oil and coal, which the majority of the world is currently dependent on; and third reducing the emissions released by the generation of energy from these sources. This transition is crucial to the survival of our planet and is viewed by environmental organizations, including the WWF as well as other researchers, including Ecofys, and OMA as our only option (Singer, 2011, p. 2). Among the most popular renewable energy resources considered for taking on a portion of the 100% renewable energy vision are water, wind, and solar power. These resources are naturally occurring and because their wastes can be recycled through the earth and atmosphere are sustainable energy sources. By using a combination of these infinite resources, the world could achieve energy security, where people can enjoy the uninterrupted availability of energy anywhere in the world at any time (International Energy Agency, 2013) without environmental consequences. Before any real transitions can be made, however, we must first understand the alternative resources and their feasibility; even if these resources are sustainable, they are no good to us if it is unfeasible. The feasibility of a renewable resource in a particular area is dependent on the regional climate and weather, geographical location and inhabitants’ technical knowledge level on the operation and maintenance of the mechanisms needed to generate the available energy from the resource, of the particular place in the world. In the following essay I will briefly explain how these factors impact the consideration of alternative energy resources function as sufficient energy sources and render their ability to provide energy security within a particular area. Before the factors that affect the feasibility of wind, hydro and solar power in a particular area can be discussed, we must first obtain at least a general understanding of the fundamental concepts of the energy resources is needed. Wind power produces energy from winds through the use of turbines or generators and is considered as the alternate resource with the most potential, particularly because it is more cost efficient than other popular alternatives such as solar and hydro power (Klick and Smith, 2009, p.185). Turbines are similar to fans in function fans with blades designed to capture wind energy which eventually feeds to a generator that turns the wind energy into electricity (Layton, n.d). Solar power is another alternate energy resource that is very popular in the discussion of shifting energy sources around the world. For every hour of the day, the amount of energy the sun transmits to the earth exceeds what humankind can consume in an entire year (Arthus- Bertrand, 2009, p. 88). Solar power is a process that uses the sun’s energy to produce electricity or heat through solar water heating, solar panels, photovoltaic cells, and mirrors (Seeds Foundation, n.d.). Hydroelectricity is electricity generated from wave and tidal movement through the use of turbines and dams, etc. This method is known to have particularly low greenhouse gas emissions, considerably less than fossil fuel plants (Chamberland and Levesque, 1996). The integration of these clean energy resources (wind, hydro, and solar) help to change this fate. We have already established the benefits of making a transition to these resources, now we must determine the feasibility of these resources in relation to different parts of the world to ensure they are integrated to the best of their potential which depends on a variety of factors. Changes in precipitation, sea level, temperature and the regularity and intensity of extreme weather events will always have some sort of impact on how much energy is produced from a renewable energy resource by reducing exposure and therefore absorption. This means that such things brought about from the natural environment through weather and climate conditions can cause barriers between the source of energy and the manmade mechanism used to generate the energy. Such reductions in exposure influence the feasibility of a resource in a particular place. For example, in Texas when the temperature gets hotter than usual the wind stops blowing: The lack of wind power available for energy generation to meet the energy demands in these conditions increases along with temperature, suggesting wind power to be an unstable source of primary energy for this state (Pirrong, 2013). In the case of solar energy, weather has a significant influence on the absorption of energy by solar panels. Clouds and snowfall create a barrier between solar panel and direct energy from the sun, temporarily reducing the amount of energy absorbed by the panels up to 50% (Rose, n.d. para. 1-3). Regional climate has a similar effect on solar energy whereas, for example, in desert areas when dust storms occur, heavy wind piles dust on the surface of solar panels, reducing solar absorption significantly (Rose, n.d. para. 2). Abu Dhabi’s first solar plant has recorded that a week of dusty weather reduces energy output by up to 40% (Rose, n.d. para. 2). Precipitation and sea level changes affect hydroelectricity in particular because of its effect on stream flow (US Environmental Protection Agency, 2013, p. 3). Stream flow is a very important factor in generating hydroelectricity; when altered, the amount of water available for energy production is influenced. Heavy rainfall increases stream flow of dammed waters, which can result in downstream flooding, and the reduction of stream flow, resulting in an overall decrease in energy production (US Environmental Protection Agency, 2013, p. 3). “Along the Colorado River, a 1% reduction in stream flow can reduce electricity output by roughly 3%, since water flows through multiple power plants in the river basin.” (US Environmental Protection Agency, 2013, p. 3). Areas of the world that experience extreme droughts and/ or frequent rainfall and flooding, transitioning to hydroelectricity as its primary energy resource would not allow them to achieve complete energy security.
As we know the effects of climate and weather changes in a particular area are closely related to an area’s geographic location. Similarly, the feasibility of a renewable resource is also defined by the areas geographic location on the map. For example, because wave energy (the potential for hydroelectricity), aside from dams which are manmade, is most concentrated in wind-produced waves, areas on the map which are fed the strongest winds from across the oceans are going to be able to produce the most hydroelectricity (Lemonis, 2004, p. 386). Figure 1 shows a map of the world which illustrates global distribution of waves in kilowatts per meter of crust width. Within latitudes of ~30 and ~60 in both hemispheres is where increases wave energy occurs around the world, induced by western winds. This map displayed that waves are most intense along the western European coast, off the coasts of Canada and the United States, and along the southern coasts of Australia and South America (Lemonis, 2004, p. 387). These are the areas where hydroelectricity would be most feasible as primary energy resource. This phenomenon will also have an influence on the potential production of electricity from wind. Geographic features such as these cannot be ignored, nor can they be controlled, although there are situation where the people of the area can control how effective a resource is for their area. An area’s inhabitants’ understanding of the technologies and mechanisms involved in generating energy from a resource has a positive impact on the feasibility of the resource as a primary energy source in the area.
An area’s peoples’ ability to understand the complexity of the technologies needed to build and maintain the mechanisms by which they wish to generate electricity from has an influence on the resources feasibility in a particular area. As Lawn (2009) describes, “A related issue for any wind turbine is the control of the blades under dynamic conditions of variable wind speeds and direction. Improving the speed of response of the nacelle as it is yawed by motor can give appreciable energy gain.” (p. 2725). This statement supports that by understanding how the mechanisms we use to produce energy from resources are constructed, operated and how they function to the best of their ability, the people of an area can improve the feasibility of the resource. Elite knowledge on these things will allow the people of the area to become successful in generating the sufficient amount of energy needed achieve energy security, thus increasing the feasibility of the resource in that particular area.
Focusing on three of the most popular renewable energy resources, I have established that the feasibility of a renewable resource in a particular area to provide energy security is dependent on many factors including the climate and weather of an area, the level of knowledge held by the people in an area about the mechanisms used to produce energy, and the area’s geographical location. The level of understanding around the operation, maintenance, and functions of the mechanism we use to generate energy from these resources impacts the feasibility of the resources as a primary source of energy in that particular area. Climate and weather changes influence the feasibility of a natural resource as a primary energy source in particular places of the world by altering the environmental conditions needed to generate the energy from the resource. The influence of an area’s geographic location on resource feasibility is an important factor in determining which areas in the world a particular energy resource would be most abundant and provide energy security. Areas that receive a high rate of exposure to a renewable resource will find it more feasible as a primary energy source for their particular area as it is of high abundance and can assure energy security. The shift to all renewable energy resources as “The Energy Report”, states would help significantly in improving the condition of our planet so that it can become sustainable and remain that way. There is no single source of renewable energy that is feasible in a global scale, therefore, with the consideration of these factors and others, we must identify what renewable energy source would be feasible in what parts of the world to ensure energy security all around the world or where it is possible and necessary.

Figure 1. Map of the world showing global wave distribution in kilowatts per meter of crust width. Source: Lemonis, p. 387 (2004).
References
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References: Arthus- Bertrand, Y. (2009). Solar Power. Home. New York: Abrams Books Bauen, A Chamberland, A., Levesque, S. (1996). Hydroelectricity, an option to reduce green gas emissions from thermal power plants. Energy Conservation and Management 37(6-8) 885-890. Carbon Trust (2010). Renewable energy sources. Retrieved from http://www.carbontrust.com/media/7379/ctv010_-_renewable_energy_sources.pdf International Energy Agency Klick, H., Smith, E. (2009). Public understanding of and support for wind power in the United States. Renewable Energy 35(2010) 1585-1591. journal homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/renene Layton, J Lawn, C.J. (2009). Technologies for tomorrow’s electric power generation. In proceedings of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers, Part C: Journal of Mechanical Engineering Science, (223), 2717-2742. doi: 10.1243/095446062JMES1512 Lemonis, G Microsoft Corp. (2011). The Energy Report. Retrieved from http://wwf.panda.org/what_we_do/footprint/climate_carbon_energy/energy_solutions22/renewable_energy/sustainable_energy_report/ Pirrong, C Unites States Environmental Protection Agency. (2013). Climate impacts on energy. Retrieved from http://www.epa.gov/climatechange/impacts-adaptation/energy.html Unites States Environmental Protection Agency