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Clean energy
Clean energy is also known as renewable energy or green energy. Clean energy refers to
energy produced from renewable resources without polluting the environment and does not use
resources that cannot be renewed easily. Clean energy solutions involve products and services
which promote and enhance diversity of supply sources, efficiency in use and helps in reducing
negative environmental effects such as greenhouse gas emissions. Clean energy is a natural
energetic process that can harness with little pollution such as biofuels which is derived from
plants, wind power, solar energy, biomass power, small-scale hydropower and wave power.
Clean energy is the energy that meets the needs of the future without compromising the ability of
the future generations to meet their own needs. Clean energy deals with both the reduced
environmental foot print balanced with increased global demand for energy and energy
independence.
Renewable energy
Renewable energy is energy that comes from natural resources such as sunlight, rain,
wind, tides and geothermal heat. Renewable energy receives great attention as a possible
contributor to solving some of today’s energy challenges. The renewable energy sources
currently provide 25% of the energy supplied and a larger part of this energy is in the form of
There are various types of renewable energy which include the solar power, hydropower,
Wind power
Wind power is a clean source of energy and it does not cause pollution and it is a
renewable resource (Benduhn, 2008). Wind occurs when hot air rise and cool air moves in and
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takes its place. The sun heats the air unevenly and hot air rises high and falls towards the ground.
When the moving air creates a spinning effect the spinning air is felt as wind (Sherman, 2004.)
Airflows is used to run wind turbines, the power output of a turbine is a function of the cube of
the wind swiftness. When wind speed increases the power output increases dramatically.
The wind power was first used to push sailboats for thousands of years and also believed
to have been used to pump water almost 4,000 years ago (Sherman, 2004).
Solar power
Solar power is the conversion of sunlight into electricity directly using photovoltaic’s
(PV) or indirectly using concentrated solar power (CSP). In the concentrated solar power system
lenses or mirrors and tracking systems are used for focusing large area of sunlight into a small
beam. In photovoltaic’s light is converted into electric current using the photoelectric effect.
Solar energy is important to the plants, people and animals in the earth. Without solar the earth
planet will be an icy rock floating in space. Some people use solar panels to heat their homes
(Gibson, 2004).
Hydropower
Hydropower is generated using mechanical energy of flowing water by forcing the water
through a piping called penstock. Hydropower is also referred to hydraulic power or water
power. When water evaporates and comes down as rains and falls back to the ocean the energy
of the water cycle which is driven by sun is tapped to produce electricity which is also known as
hydroelectric power. Hydropower is used for electricity, irrigation and in other various machines.
A micro-hydroelectric power can produce enough electricity to be used at home, ranch and farm.
Biomass
Biomass is biologically from living or recently living organisms such as gas (hydrogen),
alcohol fuels and wood waste. Biomass is a commonly plant matter grown to generate electricity
or build heat. Living biomass is included because Plants also generate electricity while still alive.
Biomass also includes biodegradable wastes that are burnt as fuel. Biomass is hydrogen, carbon
and oxygen based. Nitrogen and small quantities of various atoms like alkali, alkaline earth and
heavy metals are also found in biomass components. Biomass energy is derived from various
energy sources like waste, landfill gases, wood, alcohol fuels and garbage. Biomass can be
converted to usable forms of energy like methane gas or transportation fuels like ethanol and
biodiesel.
Geothermal power
Geothermal energy is produced by heat from the earth and this energy can be used for
machines as well as heat the homes (Morris, 2006). Geothermal electricity is generated from
geothermal energy. When water goes deeper into the earth, the temperature inside the earth rises
making the water hotter, eventually the water turns into steam. The steam and heat rise and
escape through the cracks in the ground forming geothermal energy. The holes that the steam and
Conclusion
Clean energy is one of the commodities that humans and animals need in addition to the
basic needs. There are various existing resources of energy available on earth but amongst all of
them hydrogen is considered as the most clean source of energy. Human beings have to use and
conserve energy wisely to make sure plenty of energy is there in the future.
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References
Gibson, D. (2004). Solar power. North Mankato, MN: Black Rabbit Books.
Morris, N. (2006). Geothermal power. North Mankato, MN: Black Rabbit Books.
Sorensen, B. (2004). Renewable energy: Its physics, engineering use, environmental impacts,