Green electricity demystified
Green electricity is electricity produced from sources which do not negatively impact upon the earth and its climate. There are now a variety of clean alternatives to the usual nuclear, coal and gas burning production methods, but some methods are much cleaner than others. Here are a few of the alternative energy resources that are currently being developed.
Solar power - Cloudy weather doesn't black out solar rays, so the good news is that Britain can benefit from the sun's power too. You will no doubt have seen, either on television or in your area, solar photovoltaic (PV) modules. These are the solar panels, which are now designed to neatly fit into your roof, soaking up the suns rays and using controllers and semiconductors to convert the energy to hot water and electricity for your home.
Hydro power - Hydro power is nothing new and has been used to provide electricity for more than a century now. Although all of the major hydro systems that could be developed within the UK have been developed within the UK, there is still the potential for smaller scale schemes, to provide energy to localised areas.
Wave power - The UK, with its many surfing beaches, is famed for the strength of its waves, and it's lucky for us that this wave power can now be transformed into usable energy. Harnessing this huge energy source requires some clever engineering, and new designs are being worked on every day to help us really make the most of this wonderful natural UK resource.
Tidal power - The great thing bout tidal power is its reliability. There are two ways to harness this power, one is to store water behind a barrage built across an estuary as the tide rises, releasing this water though turbines as the tide drops. The other is to use specially designed marine turbines which act as wind turbines, only underwater.
Geothermal - You may well have seen on nature programmes, or been lucky enough to visit yourself, geothermal spas set amongst freezing cold backdrops. The steam rising from pools surrounded by ice is caused by hot water which is being constantly heated by geothermal rocks from deep underground. In some places water can be pumped down to geothermal rocks in order to produce steam which can then be processed through steam turbines to produce electricity, heat and hot water too.
About the Author
British Gas is the nation's favourite cheap gas and electric supplier, boiler service provider, and energy efficiency advisor.
Solar Sailor commuter ferry for Hong Kong Jockey Club
[simpleaffiliate source="amazon" results="10"]marine solar panels uk[/simpleaffiliate]
[simpleaffiliate source="clickbank" results="5"]marine solar panels uk[/simpleaffiliate]
No comments:
Post a Comment