Renewable Energy

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1.4 Geothermal energy :

Geothermal energy is renewable energy source because the heat is always produced inside the Earth. The word geothermal comes from the Greek words geo (earth) and therme (heat). It is the energy which is produced by the heat which comes out of the earth. The geothermal energy is generated in the Earth’s core. Temperatures hotter than the sun’s surface are continuously produced inside the Earth. This natural heat can be used to heat buildings or to generate electricity. Native Americans used geothermal energy for cooking already 10,000 years ago. The oldest known stone pool with hot water comes from a hot spring was built in the 3rd century BC in China.

Geothermal power plant in Reykjavik

The first geothermal generated electricity was produced in 1904 in Italy. Steam and very hot water drive turbines which are connected with generators and produce electricity. The United States is today the world’s largest producer. In Reykjavík, Iceland about 99 percent of the needed energy has been produced by geothermal energy since 1930.

1.5 Biomass energy:

Biomass is a renewable energy source because the energy it contains comes from the sun. Through the process of photosynthesis and chlorophyll in plants traps the sun’s energy. When these carbohydrates are burned, they turn back into carbon dioxide and water and release the sun’s energy they contain. In this way, biomass functions as a sort of natural battery for storing energy. Biomass power produces about 9.6 percent of the world’s total electricity by 2030. The US leads the world in biomass production and is followed by Brazil. Together they produce 89 percent of the world’s production.

2. The need of renewable resources and why to develop the different kinds of renewable energy

We are used to a very comfortable life. We waste a lot of energy and often don´t realize it. Many electric devises are used in standby modus which waste a lot of our resources. When we keep on wasting energy it will damage our environment. Most of the energy resources we need, like coal and gas, cannot be replaced and there will be a time they are used up and gone forever. Another problem of fossil fuels is that they cause pollution. That´s why we need to support renewable energy sources. The official definition of renewable energy is: "Energy from renewable sources means energy from renew­ able non-fossil sources, namely wind, solar, aerothermal, geothermal, hydrothermal and ocean energy, hydropower, biomass, landfill gas, sewage treatment plant gas and biogases." (Source: Directive 2003/54/EC)

We should develop the different kinds of renewable energy because it should be our goal to turn of all nuclear power stations in the world and to save the fossil fuels which are left.

The nuclear disaster in Fukushima in 2012, and before in Tschernobyl showed us how dangerous it could be to be unresponsible. The people and environment there are still in danger and won’t be able to live a normal life for many many years. Also Fukushima is far away I don’t like to eat fish anymore because I am afraid that the fish is not healthy and I will get sick because of the radioactivity.

With renewable energy there will never be such a danger for the people and environment in case of an accident.

Every region can use what nature provides. For example the dessert is a perfect place for solar energy and the coast for wind miles and hydro-energy. And region with lot of farming could use biomass energy.

3. How renewable energy changed or will change our live

We consume so much energy that with the fossil fuels our air gets very dirty and the earth gets hotter. With renewable or green energy we are able to produce energy without destroying our nature.

Many people want to be independent and with renewable energy they can produce the energy they need for themselves. It’s very interesting how easy it is to produce the electricity you need from things the nature gives you. Not far away from our house there lives a man in a small house and he is able to make his own energy. He has solar panels on his roof and a wind mile in his garden. All he needs is sun and air (wind) to get energy. I had the chance to visit him and he told me a lot about solar panels. He told me that it is very important to save our fossil fuels because we need them to produce all kind of plastic we need in our daily life and when they are used off for example my t-shirt won’t have any buttons anymore.

With renewable energy we have the chance to keep on using electrical devices in the future without emptying our supplies of fossil fuels.

4. The positives and negatives of renewable energy

Renewable energy can always be produced because it grows again and will never be used of. Producing green energy is good for our environment because it doesn´t cause global warming through gas emission, it is healthy and good for our planet.

But there a negative sides of this kind of energy too. Renewable energy is still very expensive. In future it will get hopefully cheaper because of the technical advances and fossil fuels will get more expensive because they will be used of one day. Another fact is that renewable energy is not available everywhere and mostly not every time of the day. For example hydro power needs rain and fast flowing water, wind mills need wind to turn the blades and solar panels need sunshine to make electricity. And there are many very poor countries which have not enough money so support this kind of energy. And just rich people can buy solar panels to get energy for their family houses.

5. Responsibility for our green future

We have such a beautiful planet and it is our responsible to save it. When I play outside in the garden I see so many different flowers, bees and birds are flying around and I hear them singing. If we destroy our nature everything will be grey and black and all the beautiful things will be lost forever. Our children won’t know how beautiful our garden is and maybe the air will be so dirty that they even can’t play outside anymore. To protect our earth everyone has to be responsible for himself and for his behavior. We should start in our houses with little things like turn of the light when we are not in the room. Or we shouldn’t use the stand-by-modus at all.

In winter we shouldn’t heat the house all day long we are not home and maybe it is better