Renewable Energy Sources  Discarded paper or cardboard for recycling

Biomass  Sawgrass, seaweed, or anything that used

to be part of a living organism.
 Any biological material
Types of Biomass Power Plant
 Renewable
 Closed loop biomass system
 First form of energy exploited by man
The material to be burned in the plant has been
 2/3 is used for cooking and heating planted and harvested specifically for that purpose.
 10%  Open loop biomass system
Something to know… Uses material that was not originally intended for
use as a fuel source.
 Biomass has a smaller energy content than
fossil fuels

 As of 2017, Brazil and the United States were

the largest producers of ethanol and biodiesel
in the world

 Ironbridge (UNITED KINGDOM) is the largest

pure biomass plant in the world. It’s located in
SevernGorge, UK and has a capacity of 740
MW.

 Biomass energy does not produce sulfur or

mercury emissions, and produces much less
Biomass Carbon cycle
nitrogen than coal does.

Other examples of biomass

 Dried plant material ( sun dried algae/ fallen

leaves )

 Kitchen scraps

 Slaughter house discards ( hide, hair, lung,

intestines, feet, claws, feathers - anything
inedible )

 Wood chips (logs, old lumber, bark )

 Biomass Power Plant in the Philippines

 San Carlos BioPower is a greenfield, stand

alone power plant with a generation
capacity of 19.99 MW. Crop residues from
local agriculture, such as sugar cane leaves
and stalks, rice husks and specially
cultivated energy crops, will be used as fuel.

 The power plant is built on a 20-hectare

site on Negros Island in the San Carlos
Ecozone, Barangays Palampas and
Punao.

Uses of Biomass  April 2013 – 2015

Transportation Other Biomass Power Plants

Energy Generation
Provide Heat  San Mariano, Isabela (GREEN FUTURE)
Charging Electronics
Clean Oil Spills and Grease - Bagasse-fired Cogeneration Plant
Cooking  San Jose City, Nueva Ecija (SJC IPOWER)
Lubricate
Remove paint and adhesive - Rice Husk-fired Cogeneration Plant

 Rodriguez, Rizal (MONTALBAN LFG)

- Landfill Gas Recovery System

 Samal, Bataan (BATAAN 2020) - Rice

Husk-fired Cogeneration Plant

 Talavera, Nueva Ecija (GIFT) - Rice Husk-

fired Cogeneration Plant

Bagasse is the fibrous matter that remains after

sugarcane stalks are crushed to extract their juice

Something to know…

2nd Largest Biomass power plant in the world

(265MW)

Alholmenskraft located in Alholmen, Jakobstand,

Finland

3rd : Toppila located in Oulo, Finland (210MW)

4th Largest Biomass Power Plant in the world

(205MW) Staszow, Poland

Advantages

 Dependency on Fossil Fuels is Reduced

 Widely Available

 Clean Energy

 Versatile
  Reduce Wastes  Long-duration global winds with varying
strengths= gale, storm, hurricane
 Emits less carbon and sulfur dioxide than
fossil fuel Wind Power

 Relatively Cheap  the use of air flow through wind turbines to

provide the mechanical power to turn
Disadvantages electric generators

 Risk of Deforestation  Gives variable power, which is very

consistent from year to year but has
 Expensive significant variation over shorter time
scales.
 Takes a lot of space
 Used in conjunction with other electric
 Land conversion power sources to give a reliable supply.
Wind Energy  As the proportion of wind power in a region
increases, a need to upgrade the grid and a
 Movement of air caused by differences in lowered ability to supplant conventional
atmospheric pressure production can occur.
 Wind currents= hot air rises; cool air moves The net effects on the environment are far less
down problematic than those of nonrenewable power
 Varies in duration and strength sources

 Wind is the flow of gases on a large scale.  Mechanical power can be produced from
wind flows or air current
 On the surface of the Earth, wind consists of
the bulk movement of air  Wind power is harnessed using mounted
turbines attached to towers with height
 Winds are commonly classified by their ranging from 20m to 100m
spatial scale, their speed, the types of
forces that cause them, the regions in which  A collection of individual wind turbines is
they occur, and their effect called a wind farm

 Local winds - those that are created as a  Wind farms are built onshore in flat areas,
result of scenery such as mountains, usually near coastlines
vegetation, water bodies and etc. Wind Resources
 They usually change very often and the  Dependent on latitude, elevation, and
weather forecast people talk about this kind
on the TV every day proximity to the coastline.

 They can move from mild to extreme winds  Hilltops, mountain ridges, and coastlines in
in just hours the northern and central regions of the
country are the best locations because of
 Examples of local winds are sea breezes their excellent exposure to prevailing winds.
and land breezes, and mountain and
valley breezes Wind Turbine Types

 Local winds cover very short distances Wind Speed

Global Winds - really large air masses that are 6.4 m/s : Good
created mainly as a result of the earth’s rotation, 10 m/s : Excellent
the shape of the earth and the sun’s heating power.
 Modern wind turbines fall into two basic
 Short-duration; high-speed global wind= groups; the horizontal-axis variety, like
gust the traditional farm windmills used for
pumping water, and the vertical-axis
 design, like the eggbeater-style Darrieus  Use of Modern Technology
model, named after its French inventor.
 Can be Built on Existing Farms
 Most large modern wind turbines are
horizontal-axis turbines. Cons:

 Mortality rate of flying species (bats and

birds)

 Wind Reliability

 Noise and Visual Pollution

 Effect on Environment

 Expensive to Set Up

Hydroelectric Energy

Primary Use of Wind Energy Hydropower is considered a renewable form of

energy because it is based on solar energy that
The wind is a clean, free, and readily available drives the hydrologic cycle.
renewable energy source.
The hydrologic cycle refers to the following
 Wind turbines captures the wind’s power process: the sun heats water (about 97 percent
and converts it to electricity from oceans); water evaporates; rising air currents
transport water vapour to the upper atmosphere
 Wind energy is now the second fastest- where lower temperatures condense vapour into
growing source of electricity in the world, clouds. Air currents move the clouds around the
with a global installed capacity of 539,581 globe and eventually, water falls as precipitation.
megawatts (MW) at the end of 2017 Through this process, water can reach altitudes
higher than sea level.
 This source of power generation plays an
increasingly important role in the way we “The Heart of a Hydropower Plant”
power our world
O A generator is the heart of a hydropower
The most mature and developed renewable energy. plant, and it is necessary to understand how
it functions in order to grasp the other
 It is a source of clean and renewable
principles of hydroelectric energy
energy
Harnessing Hydroelectricity
 Since the early twentieth century, it
produces energy through wind turbines. • Intake: When the dam opens its entrances the
water flows into a pipeline, also known as a
 Wind turbines are often grouped together in
penstock, that channels it toward the turbines and
wind farms to make better use of energy,
builds up pressure as the water moves.
reducing environmental impact.
• Turbine Rotation: A turbine has vertical propeller
 It generates electricity through wind, by
blades set along a shaft linked to the plant’s
using the kinetic energy produced by the
generator. When the water reaches the blades, it
effect of air currents.
causes the turbine to turn along its axis.
 The machines have a lifespan of 20 years.
• Current Production: The rotating turbine creates a
Pros: corresponding rotation of magnets around the
conductors located within the generator, providing
 Clean Source of Power an alternating current.

 Renewable Source • Conversion: Inside the generator building, a

transformer changes the alternating current into
 Cost Effective electrical voltage that can be stored and used.
• Distribution: Most hydroelectric plants have Diversion
attached power lines that correspond to the
differing levels of voltage and allow energy to be
carried out of the plant.

• Outflow: After the water’s motion has been

harnessed, pipes carry it out of the plant where it
continues to flow downstream or is re-circulated
into the lower reservoir.

Converting water to electricity

O Hydroelectric power plants near waterfalls

can create huge amounts of energy, too.
Water crashing over the fall line is full of
energy.

A famous example of this is the hydroelectric plant

at Niagara Falls, which spans the border between Pumped Storage
the United States and Canada.

O A hydroelectric plant’s capacity for

producing energy partly depends on the
volume of water available, the rate at which
it flows, and the height from which it travels
into the plant. Building from a high dam
allows the water to accumulate more
potential energy to be transformed into
mechanical energy when it reaches the
turbine.

The distance between the water’s surface and the

turbine’s blades is known as the hydraulic head,
and it is used as one of the measurements for
determining a plant’s generating efficiency.

Types of Hydropower Plants

Impoundment Sizes of Hydroelectric Power Plants

Large Hydropower- more than 30 MW

- always connected to a large grid

- large HPPs can be run-of-river or storage
type
- each layout is site-specific and each plant’s
equipment is designed for local needs and
conditions
Medium Hydropower

O Medium hydropower schemes are either of

the run-of river or storage type and they
almost always feed into a grid

O Their layout may include a dam to create a

head pond. The equipment is similar to that
of large hydropower schemes
Small Hydropower – 10 MW or less  Low Operating Cost

O Small HPPs are dimensioned considerably Disadvantages

smaller than medium and large HPPs
because small HPPs usually exploit low  Environmental Intervention
discharges.
 Destroying wetlands
O Most small HPPs are run-of-river type that
are connected to the power grid.  Expensive construction

Micro Hydropower – up to 100 kW  Transformation of upstream

O Micro hydropower projects can supply  Dependency

electricity for an isolated industry, or small
 Decreasing effectiveness
remote community.
Geothermal Energy
O Small water storage tanks are sometimes
constructed so that hydro generation is
guaranteed for minimum period per day, The internal heat of the Earth is called
even during low-water flow conditions. geothermal energy. The rate of change in
temperature with depth is called the geothermal
Largest Hydroelectric Dam gradient, and it varies from 15°C to 50°C per km in
the upper crust. An increase in the depth towards
O Three Gorges Dam (Yangzte River, China) the core makes an increase in the temperature of
– 22.5 GW the Earth.
There are different processes in the creation
2nd Largest
of geothermal energy. First, a part of the energy is
O Itaipu Dam (Paraña River, Brazil/Paraguay) leftover heat from the formation of Earth. Second,
– 14 GW the accretion and compaction of large amounts of
mass involve friction, which produces heat. Third,
Largest in the PH as materials sink to interior of the planet, their
potential energy is converted into kinetic energy,
O San Roque Dam – 345 MW – 411 MW(max) which also produces heat. Lastly, the decaying of
radioactive elements on the Earth’s upper layer
Hydropower generates heat and allows mantle convection. Such
leads to volcanic eruptions, geysers, and hot
O The 1332 MW Ingula pumped-storage
springs, which releases heat.
project in South Africa puts first unit online
Harnessing geothermal energy can be done
O Hydropower can provide India sustainable in many ways. First, it is used directly in cold areas
energy security like Iceland. There, water heated by volcanic rocks
is used for heating household interiors and human-
O UAE urged to invest in Nepal’s hydropower made pools, growing veggies during winter, and
sector aquaculture. Second, Romans in ancient times
recognized the purpose of hot spring for heating
O Russia plans 13new domestic hydropower and treating skin diseases. Third, people use an
plants ambient geothermal system in temperate areas.
Lastly, people use an active geothermal system in
Hydroelectric Energy
volcanic areas. Extremely hot, shallow magmas
Advantages underneath volcanic areas heat up groundwater
sometimes up to 370°C. Such action creates a
 Renewable geothermal reservoir. For it to be effective, its
temperature should be at least 200°C, and it must
 Clean and safe be within 3 km below the surface. Hot water or
steam there circulates in fractured or porous rocks,
 Reliable source and the fluid is pumped through production wells.
 Flexible When pumped out, it expands and produces steam,
which is used to run turbines and generate
electricity. The fluid is recycled through the injection Converting Solar Energy
well, and the process repeats.
There are advantages and disadvantages of o To transform solar energy into electricity, a
geothermal energy. The advantages are its solar collector is required.
production of no GHGs and being free and An example is a concentrated solar power
renewable. One of its disadvantages is its being that involves mirrors, lenses and tracking
location specific, such that power plants are built system that focuses light into the receiver
only in some places. Another is its effect of surface
instability that leads to earthquake and more. It also and generates heat.
produces harmful gases and minerals that are
o The heat is use to generate electricity from
difficult to control, and geothermal power plants and
systems are expensive to create. conventional steam-driven turbines.
Geothermal power plants do not burn any
Concentrating Solar Power Technology
fuel to make electricity, thus having relatively little
environmental impact. They create carbon dioxide o Concentrating solar power (CSP) plants use
and sulfur compounds in smaller amounts than
those created by fossil fuel power plants. The mirrors to concentrate the sun’s thermal
world’s highest producer of geothermal energy in energy to drive a conventional steam
2015 is USA because the largest group of
turbine to make electricity. The thermal
geothermal power plants is there. The second
highest producer is the Philippines, with the energy concentrated in a CSP plant can be
geothermal power contributing to about 27% in the stored and used to produce electricity when
electricity there. it is needed, day or night.

Solar Energy

o Solar originates from the Latin word solaris

which means from “sol” (sun)

o a powerful source of energy that can be

used to heat, cool, and light our homes and
businesses.

o That is because more energy from

the sun falls on the earth in
one hour than is used
by everyone in the world
in one year.

About the Sun Concentrating solar power technologies use

different mirror configurations to concentrate the
o A natural nuclear reactor
sun’s light energy onto a receiver and convert it into
o It releases tiny packets of energy called heat. The heat can then be used to create steam to
photons. drive a turbine to produce electrical power or used
as industrial process heat.
o Every hour, enough photons impact our
planet to generate enough solar energy to Concentrating solar power plants can integrate
theoretically satisfy global energy needs for thermal energy storage systems to use to generate
an entire year. electricity during cloudy periods or for hours after
sunset or before sunrise. These attributes, make
o It releases tiny packets of energy called concentrating solar power the most attractive
photons, which travel the 93 million miles renewable energy option in the world’s sunbelt
from the sun to Earth in about 8.5 minutes. regions.
CSP systems can be also combined with combined Power Tower Systems:
cycle power plants resulting in hybrid power plants Power tower or central receiver systems utilize sun-
which provide high-value, dispatchable tracking mirrors called heliostats to focus sunlight
power. They can also be integrated into existing onto a receiver at the top of a tower. A heat transfer
thermal-fired power plants that use a power block fluid heated in the receiver up to around 600ºC is
like CSP; such as coal, natural gas, biofuel or used to generate steam, which, in turn, is used in a
geothermal plants. conventional turbine-generator to produce
electricity.
CSP plants can also use fossil fuel to supplement
the solar output during periods of low solar Early power towers, such as the Solar One plant,
radiation. In that case, a natural gas-fired heat or a utilized steam as the heat transfer fluid; current
gas steam boiler/reheater is used. designs use molten salts because of superior heat
transfer and energy storage capabilities. Some
There are four types of CSP technologies used, other designs use air as heat transfer medium
with the earliest in use being trough, and the fastest because of its high temperature and its good
growing as of 2017 being tower. For each of these, handability.
there are various design variations or different
configurations, dependingon whether thermal Parabolic Dish Systems:
energy storage is included, and what methods are
used to store solar thermally. Parabolic dish systems consist of a parabolic-
shaped point focus concentrator in the form of a
Parabolic Trough Systems: dish that reflects solar radiation onto a receiver
mounted at the focal point. These concentrators are
The sun’s energy is concentrated by parabolically mounted on a structure with a two-axis tracking
curved, trough-shaped reflectors onto a receiver system to follow the sun. The collected heat is
pipe running along the inside of the curved surface. typically utilized directly by a heat engine mounted
The temperature of the heat transfer fluid flowing on the receiver moving with the dish structure.
through the pipe, usually thermal oil, is increased Stirling and Brayton cycle engines are currently
from 293ºC to 393ºC, and the heat energy is then favored for power conversion.
used to generate electricity in a conventional steam
generator. Photovoltaic Technology

A collector field comprises many troughs in parallel • directly convert energy from sunlight into
rows aligned on a north-south axis. This electricity.
configuration enables the single-axis troughs to
track the sun from east to west during the day to • When sunlight strikes the PV module, made
ensure that the sun is continuously focused on the of a semiconductor material, electrons are
receiver pipes. stripped from their atomic bonds. This flow
of electrons produces an electric current.
Linear Fresnel Systems: PV modules contain no moving parts and
generally last thirty years or more with
Another option is the approximation of the parabolic minimal maintenance.
troughs by segmented mirrors according to the
principle of Fresnel. • Solar panels convert the sun's light in to
usable solar energy using N-type and P-
Most CSP designs can incorporate thermal type semiconductor material. When
storage—setting aside the heat transfer fluid in its sunlight is absorbed by these materials, the
hot phase—allowing for electricity generation solar energy knocks electrons loose from
several hours into the evening or during cloudy their atoms, allowing the electrons to flow
days. through the material to produce electricity.
This process of converting light (photons) to
 electricity (voltage) is called the photovoltaic • Unlike the traditional cooking devices that
(PV) effect. Currently solar panels convert use electricity or gas, solar energy devices
most of the visible light spectrum and about use the most renewable and cleanest form
of energy. There are solar ovens also
half of the ultraviolet and infrared light
available for cooking that solely use solar
spectrum to usable solar energy. energy.

• Solar cooker:

• comes in different forms like concentrating

sunlight cookers, cookers with light to heat
conversion, etc.

• The working of solar cooker is pretty simple.

It has a container that is elevated using
metal or another heat sink. Then the food
that can be easily cooked is placed inside.
The food that is required for a family can be
cooked using one or two solar cookers.
There are even high-performance parabolic
solar cookers available to cook food at a
temperature of about 290 degree Celsius.
They can be used for purposes like to stir
Some Uses of Solar Energy fry vegetables, bake bread and also boil
water.
1. Water heating:

• Solar energy is the best substitute for the • The temperature range can be between 150
devices like electric water F (66 C) to 400 F (204 C) if you have a well-
heaters and gas. Their made solar cooker. (You need at least 180
efficiency is nearly degrees Fahrenheit (82C) to be able to
15-30% more than the cook things.)
conventional heating
devices. Thus solar
energy can be easily
harnessed in daytime
and can be used for
water heating at
one’s convenience.

2. Indoor lighting using solar energy:

• The electronic sets for lighting at home can

be powered solely using solar energy.
When the sunlight is available the battery
chargers charge up and the lighting can be
used for convenience.

• During nighttime, the battery that has

already stored energy in it can be used for
lighting purposes even if there is no
availability of sunlight. Thus, sunlight can be
used for lighting during both day and night.

3.) Cooking purposes:

 the day so that the energy is used at night. This is a
good solution for using solar energy all day long but
it is also quite expensive.

4. Uses a Lot of Space

The more electricity you want to produce, the more

solar panels you will need, as you want to collect as
much sunlight as possible. Solar panels require a
lot of space and some roofs are not big enough to
fit the number of solar panels that you would like to
have.

Disadvantages

1. Cost

The initial cost of purchasing a solar system is fairly

high. This includes paying for solar panels, inverter,
batteries, wiring, and for the installation.
Nevertheless, solar technologies are constantly
developing, so it is safe to assume that prices will
go down in the future.

2. Weather Dependent

Although solar energy can still be collected during NUCLEAR ENERGY

cloudy and rainy days, the efficiency of the solar
system drops. Solar panels are dependent on  Discovered in1930’s to 40’s and recognized
sunlight to effectively gather solar energy. its potential as a weapon
Therefore, a few cloudy, rainy days can have a  The most often used in the nuclear power
noticeable effect on the energy system. plants is the element Uranium
3. Solar Energy Storage Is Expensive  Considered another non-renewable energy
Solar energy has to be used right away, or it can be source
stored in large batteries. These batteries, used in
off-the-grid solar systems, can be charged during
*Although nuclear energy itself is a renewable Disadvantages
energy source, the material used in nuclear power
plants is not.  Nuclear wastes

Creation  Dramatic Accidents

 FISSION  Cost

- Splitting of heavy atoms into lighter atoms

 FUSION

- Combination of two light atoms to form a

heavier atom

HOWEVER, if it becomes out of control, an atomic

explosion may occur.

Nuclear Energy by Fission

 Releasing heat by splitting atoms

 Takes place when a large unstable isotope

is bombarded by high-speed particles,
usually neutrons.

Advantages

 Sustainable

 Ecological

 Independent