Abstract
There are many renewable energy (RE) options, so in this chapter we look at the various RE sources and how we turn them into electricity. We discuss the most often proposed RE sources: wind, solar, hydro, biomass, geothermal, tidal, and wave. As you will see, some are better at producing reliable electricity than others. We finish the chapter by discussing the low energy density of all renewable resources and the impact this has on amount of resource that has to be captured and the consequential cost imposed.
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Notes
- 1.
The kinetic energy of a body is the energy it possesses because of its motion.
- 2.
Superheating is where a liquid is heated under pressure to a temperature higher than its usual boiling point without actually boiling.
- 3.
Capable of being scaled up to replace fossil fuels.
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© 2012 Springer-Verlag London
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Nicholson, M. (2012). Many Options. In: The Power Makers' Challenge. Green Energy and Technology. Springer, London. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4471-2813-7_7
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4471-2813-7_7
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Publisher Name: Springer, London
Print ISBN: 978-1-4471-2812-0
Online ISBN: 978-1-4471-2813-7
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