Green Energy Facts that You May Not Know About

Knowledge about green energy has made us more aware of the potential uses of our surroundings. The idea of renewable energy had taught us that an energy source is always just around the corner waiting to be discovered and harnessed. We learned that the sunlight’s heat and radiant energy could be collected, kinetic energy from water can be transformed, and organic matter can be processed to be used as fuel.

And so, to commemorate our enlightenment to the vision of a no-fossil-fuel energy future, let’s look at some of the nifty green energy facts that you may, or may not know about.

1.  Though a power plant harnessing renewable energy can be considered as eco-friendly, its very existence alone sometimes ironically disrupts the ecosystem of its surroundings. This is especially true for hydroelectric power plants, although of course the existence of a coal-fired power plant is still much worse.
2. France is the world’s leader in “glowing” green energy, nuclear power. An overwhelming 80% of the entire country’s power generation comes from fission nuclear reactors. Unsurprisingly, they are also the world’s largest exporter of electric power.
3. If we purify one ton of sand and converted it to silicon, and used the silicon to make solar panels, you can potentially produce more electric energy than burning 500,000 tons of coal.
4. The most efficient number of blades a wind turbine can have is three. Go with two blades, and you risk stressing the blades too much, go with more blades than three, and the air vortex might interfere with the turbine’s movement.
5. Netherlands has the largest power plant that runs purely on chicken manure. This biomass plant produces around 270 million kilowatt-hours a year, and supplies energy to more than 90,000 homes.
6. The most important landmark that inspired the development of hydroelectric power plants today was the Niagara Falls. The very first hydroelectric power plant was built there, as well as the very first power plant that distributes AC power.
7. Iceland produces energy for the entire country almost solely on geothermal and hydroelectric power. In fact, their electric energy production comes from 100% renewable energy. The country is expected to be the first nation to be completely devoid of fossil fuels in just a few decades.
8. Producing hydrogen for fuel cell cars always create a considerable loss of net energy. On the other hand, biofuels produce 93% more energy than what was spent in its production.
9. There are more sources of renewable green energy at sea than on land. This could indirectly mean that each and every island nation can potentially be free from fossil fuels RIGHT AT THIS MOMENT.
10. According to famous astronomer Carl Sagan, solar energy is the future of mankind, as he once said “any intelligent civilization on any planet will eventually have to use the energy of its parent star”.

Some of you may ask, “what’s to learn about these stuff anyway?” These facts may practically be useless for our daily lives, but these tidbits of information can be helpful in deepening our understanding of renewable energy technologies. It may sound corny, but knowledge of these facts can indirectly help us improve green energy development’s good sides, as well as minimizing and even diminishing its bad sides.

Source : theenvironmentalblog