Renewable Energy Makes a Lot of Sense

Posted by Unknown on 8:55 PM in environment | Comments : 0

Renewable energy is energy that can be obtained from natural resources which can be constantly replenished.

Fossil fuels (eg coal, oil and natural gas) take millions of years to form, and using them creates greenhouses gases. Because we are using these fuels faster than they generate, a lot of money is being invested into the research and development of renewable energy options. Renewable energy options are not based on carbon materials, instead being derived from sources that are constantly replenished in nature such as wind and water. They do not produce greenhouse gases and are therefore considered much more environmentally friendly.

It's not surprising then that surveys over the last decade have shown that three quarters of Australians support renewable energy. Everyone knows that Australia is hot and windy, so as our Prime Minister Tony Abbott says "it makes a lot of sense".

The Renewable Energy Target (RET) is a scheme by the Australian Government which aims to source 20% of electricity from renewable sources by 2020. It is expected to transform our energy sector if left in place, and save Australians money on their power bill in the years to come.

More than 24 thousand Australians were employed in the renewable sector in 2012, proving that the jobs of the future are already here. The RET is set to generate another 18 thousands jobs over the next five years.

There are several different types of renewable energy that are currently being explored.

1. Geothermal energy is the energy that is stored as heat in the Earth. This is abundant in Australia.
2. Bioenergy is derived from biomass (organic matter) and can be used to produce electricity, heat and liquid fuels for transport. It currently accounts for around 1% of Australias electricity usage, but we have huge advantages to increase that figure due to an abundance of sunlight.
3. Hydropower uses the force of energy of moving water to generate power. It is considered the most advanced and mature of the renewable energy technologies, and produces some level of electricity generation for over 160 countries worldwide. It currently generates around 8% of Australias electricity.
4. Ocean energy is derived from the sea and technologies are still in the early stage of development.
5. Solar energy is created from sunlight or heat from the sun. Australia has the highest average solar radiation per square metre of any continent in the world. More than 2 million homes have solar hot water systems or solar photovoltiac systems on their rooftop. Development of mega-scale solar electricity generation is in early stages of development.
6. Wind energy is generated by converting wind currents into other forms of energy using wind turbines, and is primarily used for electricity. Australia has some of the best wind resources along it Southern coast. Wind energy is the fastest growing renewable energy source for electricity generation in Australia.

The main challenge of these sources of energy is that they are not in constant supply. When the wind is not blowing and the sun is not shining, energy cannot be generated, however these systems are becoming increasingly attractive to businesses as well as individuals.

If you are looking to pursue a career in this field, the options are varied. You could get into sales, technical work, installation, warehousing, research and development, sustainability consulting, plant managing, green engineering and more.

Renewable energy is set to play a very important role in how we use energy in the years to come. While we don't know which form of energy will be the most efficient and economic, we do not know that the future looks bright for renewable energy in Australia!