Green energy of the sea currents. The energy of the future?

ufv (52)in #ecology • 6 years ago

Hello my Steemian friends!

In my previous post I shared impressive information about the Aral Sea, the greatest natural disaster produced by the intervention of man in the environment. Where the terrible consequences generated by the modification of the ecosystem for the exploitation of its resources were evident.

This time, I bring you an excellent information of the other side of the coin: the benefits that are obtained thanks to the optimal use of the environment; generating useful resources for humanity, protecting the environment and helping subsistence of the planet. I am referring to the Generation of clean or green energy, as it is also known, obtained from the immense renewable resources that nature offers.

The effects on the environment resulting from the exploitation and production of fossil energy or fossil fuels obtained from non-renewable resources such as coal, gas, oil, have been harmful to the health of the planet. Global warming due to the greenhouse effect or the hole in the ozone layer for example, are consequences that the use of this energy has brought. The search for an ecological alternative to supplant it has been the reason for great efforts made by scientists and professionals from different latitudes. Wind, solar, hydroelectric and geothermal energy are renewable energies obtained from inexhaustible resources such as wind, sun, water and heat respectively. They are sources that are renewed over time, therefore they are sustainable and are also called clean energy because their use does not emit any type of pollutant to the environment. So,

Green or clean energy = renewable energy that respects the environment

In simple words, renewable energy is obtained by transforming the energy of wind, sun, water and heat through mechanisms created by man to absorb it from nature and convert it into electricity to supply communities. It is the application of the law of conservation of energy which states that energy is not created or destroyed but transformed.

According to the Global Energy Statistical Yearbook 2017 of Enerdata, the generation of renewable energy in the world is increasing. This progress is mainly due to the decrease in implementation costs experienced by this type of technology in recent years (this has been its greatest limitation). Developing countries such as South Asia, Latin America and South Africa are expanding their renewable energy sources. China, USA and Austria have made massive investments in hydroelectric, wind and solar energy. The European Union has also made progress on the issue albeit more slowly.

It is estimated that if renewable sources are doubled by 2030, harmful emissions of pollutants such as ammonia, solid particles, sulfur dioxide will be drastically reduced, as well as health costs related to pollution.

ERenovable.com

Credit: U.S. Air Force graphic/Corey Parrish

One of the technologies that is currently booming to generate renewable energy is the one that uses the kinetic energy and the potential energy of the marine currents, called Tidal Energy. The interest in this type of technology is basically due to the fact that its implementation costs are lower than the costs of other renewable energies (wind or solar). In addition, comparing it with the Tidal Dam, it has a lower environmental impact and does not require large areas of land for its operation, as in the case of wind energy.

The world's first commercial-scale and grid-connected tidal stream generator – SeaGen – in Strangford Lough by Fundy in Wikimedia

SeeGen in Northern Ireland by Fabioroques in Wikimedia

Functioning of a Tidal Generator

How does it work?

These generators have a similar operation to the wind turbines, only that they are 40 meters deep in the oceans. Because the density of the water is greater than that of the wind, they can convert the movement of marine currents into electricity at lower speeds than in the generation of wind power. In the following video taken from Youtube, you can better appreciate the operation of a tidal energy generator, the types of existing generators and their advantages.

Tidal Power 101 (Youtube)

As you can see in the video, the energy of marine currents offers great advantages in the production of renewable energy. The marine currents are totally predictable which allows its maintenance and planning, is inexhaustible and ecological and has great potential. The ocean can play an important and protagonist role in the search for energy generation because in it the largest quantity offered by nature is concentrated.

The experts in the development and generation of renewable energies believe that the experiences obtained so far in this matter have shown that with a single option, it is not possible to cover all the electricity needs. A combination of these energies must be found where each one finds its most suitable field of application.

All efforts and investments seek to improve the health of the planet and minimize the environmental impact of the consumption of other types of polluting energies. Hopefully, they will succeed and in the coming decades, we can see this become a great reality.

I hope you like this publication about green energy. I appreciate your time and comments.

Happy day friends!

Reference

#steemstem #science #news #engineering

6 years ago in #ecology by ufv (52)

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geopolis (54) 6 years ago

Your post has been personally reviewed and was considered to be a well written article.
You received a 10.0% upvote since you are not yet a member of geopolis and wrote in the category of "ecology".

To read more about us and what we do, click here.
https://steemit.com/geopolis/@geopolis/geopolis-the-community-for-global-sciences-update-4

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ufv (52) 6 years ago

Thank you very much for the support @geopolis, I start to follow your account and I will be aware of its contents. I appreciate your comment. Regards.

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