Information sheet: Renewable energy resources Energy resource For Against Biomass energy - - Animal manure and rotting plants can be put in a digester tank to make methane gas which can be burnt to produce heat. Fast growing trees can be burnt to produce heat. The heat produced can turn water to steam, to turn turbines to turn generators. Solar energy - - Some of the Sun’s energy can be converted into electricity in a solar cell Solar cookers and solar panels use the heat from the Sun If the right fuel is chosen, it can usefully use natural waste products. You can grow more plants and fast growing trees. The Sun’s energy is free. In theory, solar cells, solar panels and solar cookers can be used almost anywhere. Soot and other pollutants can be formed from burning fuels It doesn’t work so well in cloudy conditions. You may need a fairly large area of solar cells to produce enough electricity. They can be expensive Geothermal energy - Water is pumped deep into the ground. Hot rocks inside the Earth heat up water into steam. The steam can be used for heat or to turn a turbine. The energy is available day and night. The energy from the Earth is free. No fuels need to be burnt. It is only possible to use Geothermal energy in certain parts of the world where the hot rocks are not too deep underground. Hydroelectric energy - - Water that is falling downhill could turn a water wheel, attached to a generator, creating electricity. A turbine and generator could also be attached to the dam of a reservoir in a high up location. When water is allowed to flow out of the reservoir, electricity could be generated. As long as it rains and there is a way to store the water high up on a hill then this energy resource can be used. No fuels need to be burnt It cannot be used in flat (non-hilly) areas. Building a dam across a river may cause environmental damage and flooding of the nearby areas if it were to rain too much at any point. Tidal energy - The tides cause movements within water. If the water is allowed to pass a turbine (as it moves) then electricity will be generated. Wind energy - The wind can be used to turn a turbine, which turns a generator. The wind can also be used to turn windmills. Wave energy - The wind causes waves on water. These waves can be used to move floats on the surface of the water, generating electricity. The tides are predictable No fuels need to be burnt Whenever the wind blows there will be electricity. No fuels need to be burnt. As long as there are waves, electricity will be generated. No fuels need to be burnt. To be most effective, it needs to be used in an area where large tidal variations are seen. It works best in windy places. Many turbines would be needed to be used to get electricity It works best with big waves. You may need a lot of floats to get a useable amount of electricity.
