By: Jemimah Chungu
The world should transform the choice of energy/power sources into clean energy technologies. Clean energy is energy from renewable environmental resources. Such resources are renewable in the sense that once “extracted,” new ones can recur. Thus, clean energy is key to preventing environmental degradation.
Clean energy sources do not pollute the environment, most importantly the atmosphere and so they do not contribute to the evils of environmental degradation such as climate change. Clean energies are also energy efficient.
The has been particular interest in advancing the technology of clean energy with new advancements of e-mobility and renewable energy storage as well as the popular clean energy technologies.
Solar energy
Solar energy is the cleanest form of energy. It is the most abundant energy resources on earth as it is derived from the sun and the sun never runs out. Solar energy can be put to good use and is very ideal considering the ozone layer is depleted and and the sun rays reach the planet earth directly.
Solar energy is captured in many ways but most commonly through the installation of solar panels that require only purchasing and little or no maintenance. Solar energy is clean and renewable.
Wind energy
Wind energy is energy derived from the wind. It is a source of power or energy electricity that is transformed from wind. Wind energy causes less to zero pollution on the environment. It also does not cause any exploitation or exhaustion of environmental resources as wind does not run out. Wind energy requires the construction of wind form through the use wind turbines ideally at coastal areas where wind is abundant.
Tidal energy
Tidal energy is power produced from the surface of ocean water during the rise and fall of tides and currents. Tidal energy is renewable (National Geographic).
Tidal energy causes zero pollution to the environment henceforth it is clean. It can however be most effective to areas near oceans and not land locked areas. It is derived using turbines and paddles places in oceans and is renewable as water never runs out due to natural cycles precisely the water cycle. Tidal energy is advantages with the rise of water levels through climate change that the globe is undergoing.
Hydro energy
Hydro (water) energy is more general but at a smaller scale to tidal energy. It is derived from water bodies but any water body including rivers and lakes. Hydro energy likewise is clean and renewable and effective as water does not run out but sometimes poses threat in the midst of drought occurrences through climate change. Hydro electric power plants are plotted on or near water bodies (water resources) to source hydro energy.
Geothermal energy
Geothermal is energy that comes from within earth (earth underground). Geothermal energy is contained in the roots and fluids beneath the earth’s crust. It can be derived far down to earth’s hot molten rock magma.
To produce power from geothermal energy, wells are dug a mile deep into the ground till the steam and hot water is accessed which is used to drive turbines connected to electricity generators. There are three types of geothermal power plants; dry steam, flash and binary (Verdict; power technology).
Clean energy is green!
